Victim of Human Trafficking Wins Appeal Against Conviction
On the 26th June 2014 The Court of Appeal quashed the conviction of our client FE, for possession of an identity document with improper intention.
FE was trafficked to the UK and had been sexually exploited. We did not represent FE in the original proceedings at the Crown Court at which she pleaded guilty but were instructed on appeal.
This is another important victory for victims of human trafficking. This judgement brings us one step closer to implementing properly the anti trafficking and non- punishment provisions of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. The court has again recognised that victims of human trafficking should not be prosecuted and criminalised for offences they have been compelled to commit.
FE was represented by Philippa Southwell of this firm and Michelle Brewer at Garden Court Chambers. We have numerous other clients in a similar position where their cases are either with or on their way to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, the Court of Appeal or the Crown Court in its appellate capacity (where the matter was dealt with in the Youth Court or Magistrates’ Court).
Philippa Southwell specialises in representing victims of human trafficking and has been successful in quashing every conviction raising issues of human trafficking victims on which she has been instructed to date.
Philippa has recently had a podcast released by CPDCast on the subject of human trafficking in criminal cases and was a guest speaker at the Trafficking Law and Policy Forum where she spoke on “Victims of human trafficking and forced criminality”. She also attended the Council of Europe’s Response Against Trafficking and Forced Criminal Exploitation conference, arranged by ECPAT and funded by the Council of Europe. This conference was attended by numerous European partners and frontline practitioners from police to prosecutors, NGOs and local authorities and lawyers to discuss trafficking issues and solutions
Anyone who believes they may have a case which would fit within the criteria and wishes to challenge the conviction should contact us immediately.
