BackgroundMarguerite was one of the Founder Members of Garden Court Chambers and throughout her career has been committed to developing understanding of equality and human rights issues both within the legal process and in society at large. She is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada. She was an invited speaker at a symposium organised for Madame Justice L'Hereux-Dube on her retirement from the Canadian Supreme Court. She , advised Labour MPs and MEPs on crime issues as well as domestic violence, abortion, embryo experimentation and reproduction technologies. Marguerite has a particular interest in IT and was involved in assisting in the creation of a legal database for a Legal Web site.
PracticeMarguerite specialises in criminal law has appeared in nearly all major Crown Court centres. She has over many years appeared for the defence in a large number of nationally publicised and notable cases:- The Whitemoor Prison Escape Trial [Woolwich Crown Court, 1997] The Strangeways Prison Riot Trial [Manchester Crown Court, 1993] The Orgreave (Miners) Riot Trial [Sheffield Crown Court, 1985] The Bradford 12 Conspiracy Trial [Leeds Crown Court,1980] She has successfully acted as a leading junior, for a number of years and has led in cases as diverse as murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, wounding with intent [Birmingham, Manchester, St Albans, Reading , London] conspiracy to cause explosions, large scale frauds [London, Manchester] and major robbery and drug cases [Manchester, Birmingham, Luton, London, Norfolk, Bristol] and blackmail [Newcastle and London]. 2006-2007 At Woolwich and Norwich Crown Courts in R v Ward Marguerite successfully led for one of the alleged leading conspirators in a major drugs importation case. 2005 At the CCC R v Khalef and others Marguerite successfully led for a defendant in the "Ricin" terrorism case. 1997 At the CCC R v Murphy and others Marguerite successfully led for a defendant in the "electricity substation conspiracy to cause explosions" case. Marguerite has developed a particular interest and expertise in the cross-examination of expert witnesses in areas as diverse as identification of footwear, DNA, handwriting, psychology, and drug trace evidence. In the 2007 case of R v Ward and others, her cross-examination, according to a well respected international expert, revealed more information regarding covert recording systems than had ever before been disclosed in any court and it led to a Crown expert admitting that he had mislead a defence expert. Recently in 2009 at Birmingham Crown Court she successfully cross-examined to exclude facial mapping evidence, thereby stopping the trial and achieving a directed not guilty verdict. Other areas of work include: sex discrimination in employment and elsewhere and civil actions against the police. Marguerite was Inquiry Counsel to the 1987Macdonald Inquiry which concerned racism in a playground killing. Publications- 'The Impact of the Canadian Charter of Rights on Privacy in Canada' chapter in Developing Key Privacy Rights (Hart Publishing, 2002) - 'Towards Global Equality' (LSUC, 2002) - Peer reviewer for 'Are We 'Persons' Yet? Law and Sexuality in Canada' (University of Toronto Press, 1999) - Canadian Journal of Women and the Law 1990 - Women and Criminal Trials - 1990 Book Review, Queens Law Journal
Notable CasesMarguerite has been involved in a number of notable cases throughout her career starting with:- R v Thorne (1977) 66 Cr App R 6. Re. Re. supergrass case
For more information click here. R v Barber and others (1985) The Orgreave Miners Trial
Click for more information and press coverage. R v O'Dhuibir and Sherry (1997) Whitemoor Prison Escape
Click for more information and press coverage. R v Murphy and other (1998) Conspiracy to Cause Explosions
Click here for press coverage. R v Bilgi and other (2004) Drugs Ring Case R v Khalef and others (2004/5) The first major post 9/11 " terrorism" trial in the UK
Click for more information and press coverage.
Fraud/Commercial CasesR v Pearson (2001) The largest advance fee fraud to occur in Manchester, over 2500 Junior doctors allegedly defrauded by tax advisors R v Doherty (2009) Fraudulent Trading R v Salmon and others (2010) Large Scale Commercial theft R v Alonge and others (2011) Acted as Leading Junior - allegation of multi -million pound internet fraud and money laundering conspiracy
Click here and here for press coverage.
R v Milka and others (2011)
Acted as Leading Junior - allegation of multi -million pound internet fraud and money laundering conspiracy involving use of a Trojan worm
Click here and here for press coverage. Drugs CasesR v Adams and others (1998) Several men were charged with conspiracy to supply drugs and one of them with the possession of a Magnum revolver after a surveillance operation for over a over a year which led to the arrests.
Click here for press coverage.
R v Bilgi and other (2004) Drugs Ring Case
R v Ward (2007) Drugs importation case-exposure of covert recordings methodology.
Click here for press coverage.
R v Charles (2010) Drugs Importation
Conspiracy CasesR v Salih (2006) Described in the media as "London's largest gun conversion operation, which supplied hundreds of weapons to the underworld."
Click here for press coverage. R v Chun Yu and others (2008) Large scale people smuggling.
Click here for press coverage. R v Smythe and others (2010) Leading Junior -Conspiracy alleged to involve large scale theft of vehicles.
Click here for press coverage.
Robbery/Violence CasesR v Jemmott (2009) Multiple Jeweller's Shop Robberies R v McInerney (2009) Attempted Murder - shooting
Click here for press coverage. R v Hanja (2010) Wages Robbery R v M. Walsh (2010) Attempted murder - stabbing R v C D'Aguair (2010) Attempted murder - shooting R v Samuels (2011) Kidnap
Pending CasesMarguerite is currently briefed in another Multi -Million pound Internet fraud and two major drugs conspiracies [2 tons and 5 tons of Class A respectively]
Lectures and Seminars
Marguerite taught University advocacy courses for post -graduate students in 1988-89. She has given seminars on Cross-Examination of Expert Witnesses, Trial Tactics and Speech Preparation, and Covert Recording Systems. She has been a contributor at a number of National and International Legal events and workshops, for eg. in the UK at the Institute of Ideas in 2009. In 2010 she was a Participant in the International Conference on LGBT Human Rights, Copenhagen, Denmark July 27-29, 2009. Also at the international conference Exploring the Boundaries: An International Dialogue on Socio-Legal Feminisms, Holetown, Barbados, June 9-11, 2010 and she also attended at the Universidad Complutense Madrid in 2011 for Working Group Sessions on Fiscal and Gender Issues relating to taxation and gender budgeting.
SocietiesCriminal Bar Association and Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association (LAGLA) Profile updated December 2011
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