Lawyers 22
Turnover Not disclosed
Offices 1
Hickman & Rose regularly acts in public inquiries and judicial reviews related to abuses of state power, particularly within the criminal justice system. This year’s work included representing Andrew Malkinson in civil claims arising from one of the worst miscarriages of justice in modern times.
Malkinson spent 17 years in jail for a rape he did not commit. He was found guilty at a trial in 2003 and sentenced to life with a minimum term of seven years. He served a further ten years in jail after his tariff expired. After a 20-year fight, the Court of Appeal quashed his conviction.
In January the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) referred the case to the Court of Appeal after new evidence pointed to another potential suspect. It had rejected his application on two previous occasions.
At the time of his conviction there was no DNA evidence linking Malkinson to the crime and the prosecution case was based solely on identification evidence. It is alleged that the CCRC was not told that there was DNA evidence from someone else found on the victim’s clothing.
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Lord Justice Holroyde, the vice-president of the Court of Appeal criminal division, quashed the conviction on the basis that it was unsafe because of the new DNA evidence. He said that Malkinson, “having waited for so many years, can leave the court a free man with no licence conditions”.
Greater Manchester police have now arrested the new suspect, who can be identified only as “Mr B”, after fresh DNA analysis.
Alex Chalk, the justice secretary, has announced an inquiry to examine the actions of the Crown Prosecution Service, Greater Manchester police and the CCRC in the case.
The firm also acted for the charities Inquest and StopWatch, which intervened in the challenge brought by the police officer known as W80, who fatally shot the gangster Jermaine Baker, over the decision of the Independent Office for Police Conduct to bring misconduct proceedings against him.
The Supreme Court ruled that decisions on whether to discipline police officers who use force on members of the public are to be made using the civil law test, which includes an assessment of whether a mistaken belief is objectively reasonable.
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The firm is acting for the family of Oladeji Adeyemi Omishore, a 41-year-old man who fell into the River Thames and died after being shot three times with a stun gun by a Metropolitan Police officer. The family is challenging the police watchdog’s decision not to hold a criminal or misconduct investigation into Omishore’s death.
Hickman & Rose also represents well-known and wealthy individuals accused of sexual offences. Notable clients this year include the former France and Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy who was, after two trials, acquitted of rape and sexual assault.
Hickman & Rose’s business crime team successfully defended a former G4S executive who was acquitted this year in one of the Serious Fraud Office’s biggest cases.
★ Commended for administrative & public law; crime; financial crime & fraud & regulatory
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To browse the Best Law Firms 2024, go to thetimes.co.uk/bestlawfirms