Nicola Emma Talbot

Practice
Nicola defends and prosecutes in London and across the South Eastern and Western Circuits, in both Magistrates’ and Crown Courts. She has experience of a wide range of offences in single and multi-handed cases, including sexual offences and indecent images, violent assaults, drug supply, dishonesty and fraud, road traffic law, extradition law and proceeds of crime.

Most recently, she was instructed as Junior Counsel for the Defence (led by Greg Perrins) for a headmaster accused of sadistically sexually and abusing boys at boarding schools in Norfolk and Suffolk in the 1980s. She has also recently represented a defendant in a ten-handed conspiracy to defraud which involved a large gang of offenders who defrauded a number of elderly and vulnerable individuals in East London by posing as police officers purporting to investigate bank account fraud.

She is very experienced in and has a particular interest in defending young people at the Youth and Crown Courts and dealing with child witnesses. She has represented young people in serious offences such as burglary, arson, robbery and sexual offences, in addition to parents accused of child abuse and neglect. She has also been successful at the Court of Appeal in appealing custodial sentences for youths. She is a trained volunteer Community Panel Member for the Youth Offending Team in the London Borough of Southwark, drawing up and reviewing referral order contracts for young people.

Nicola has prosecuted for the Youth Offending Services and Probation for breaches of Community and Suspended Sentence Orders. In addition, she has experience of contested ASBO hearings, representing both adults and young people.
Nicola has more recently developed her practice in defending individuals with mental health disorders and is keen to do further work in this area, both with regard to obtaining hospital orders with restriction requirements and mental health treatment within the community. She has an interest in mental health tribunal work.

Nicola is a member of the prison law team and welcomes instructions in this area of work.

Nicola has experience of cases involving dangerous dogs and welcomes instructions in this area of law both under the Animal Welfare and Dangerous Dogs legislation.

Nicola also has a keen interest in human rights law and is a member of Liberty, volunteering regularly on the Liberty Advice Line, providing legal advice over the telephone to individuals with complaints regarding alleged violations of the European Convention. She has recently returned from 3 months working as a voluntary intern at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, as a Pegasus Scholar, providing advice on individual cases and drafting single judge case notes and Communication Reports for the UK legal division. Nicola is happy to advise on the merit of cases and the drafting of applications to Strasbourg. Click here to read Nicola’s Blog from Europe. Click here to read Nicola’s article in the Summer 2011 News At One on Prisoners’ Voting Rights.

Previous Experience
Before coming to the Bar, Nicola worked in politics for three years, as an advisor, researcher, consultant and speech writer on rural, environmental and energy policy. She has worked for both Members of Parliament and the Lords at Westminster and Members of the European Parliament, advising on European and national legislation concerning such issues as animal welfare and rural affairs, planning, waste management, water and energy regulation. She is keen to use this experience in environmental and planning law and regulatory offences.

Notable Cases

R v Brock and others – Cambridge Crown Court
Defence Counsel in multi-handed conspiracy to burgle, which involved a wide-ranging and lengthy undercover police operation in Cambridge.

R v Ahmad and others – Basildon Crown Court
Defence Counsel in ten-handed conspiracy to defraud worth over £100,000. Following a hung jury in the first trial, the defendant was finally convicted after a retrial.

R v Slade – Ipswich Crown Court
Led Junior in case of a sadistic paedophile headmaster accused of seriously sexually and physically abusing over 15 boys at boarding schools in Norfolk and Suffolk in the 1980s. Defendant was sentenced to 21 years.

R v Mackay and others – Cambridge Crown Court
Led Junior in six-handed conspiracy to defraud, involving the defrauding of an elderly lady to the value of around £1 million by her two carers and their immediate families.

R v Agbomabini - Basildon Crown Court
Defence Counsel of a father accused of assaults causing actual bodily harm upon his children. The case was dismissed following submissions of no case to answer at the close of the Prosecution case.

R v Armstrong – Cambridge Crown Court
Defence Counsel of a vulnerable young man who pleaded guilty to an allegation of grievous bodily harm, and was finally disposed of under the Mental Health Act, following numerous psychiatric reports.

VOSA v John Roberts Circus Ltd – Holyhead Magistrates’ Court
Defence Counsel of a circus in allegations brought by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency involving the failure to hold operators’ licences and to use tachograph equipment whilst the circus vehicles were travelling between shows. This involved detailed exchange of argument as to the definition of specialised vehicles under European and UK law.

R v Johnston – St Albans Crown Court
Defence Counsel in allegations of sexual assault upon 14 year old girl. Defendant received a suspended sentence.

R v Foreman – Snaresbrook Crown Court
Defence Counsel in case of incitement of child under 16 to engage in sexual activity, involving internet communication/grooming between the defendant and complainant using MSN messenger. The case was eventually withdrawn after discovery that the complainant was in fact an adult woman posing as girl under 16 in order to entrap the defendant, and full costs were awarded to the Defence and against the Crown Prosecution Service.

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