Michael Turner KC

Year of Call: 1981 | Year of Silk: 2002

"A respected defence counsel who is punchy and combative in court."

Chambers UK, 2021 (Crime)

"A proper devil's advocate."

Legal 500 UK

"Dedicated, incredibly hard-working and robust in court."

Chambers UK 2017

"He defends in murder and protest cases."

Legal 500 2017

"His work ranges from baby-shaking deaths to protest matters."

Legal 500 2016

Contact

To get in touch:​ Or you can contact the relevant​ Practice Team Clerks directly and they will be happy to assist with your enquiry.

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Ranked in Chambers UK 2023
Legal 500 2023: Leading Silk

Michael Turner KC has been described by his peers "as a barrister who can secure a result no others could". He has a reputation for extreme hard work, extraordinary commitment to a case and for his inventiveness and tenacity.

He is a hugely experienced trial and appellate advocate. In addition to pursuing his own first instance cases to appeal he is sought after on referrals from the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

Criminal Defence

Overview

Michael specialises in complex and difficult criminal cases ranging from multi-million pound fraud to multiple murder. His ability to master intricate and diffuse scientific expertise has been amply demonstrated in his success in a number of recent cases of alleged "baby shaking".

He has appeared in the English and Northern Irish Court of Appeal in some of their biggest cases both as a silk and a junior. He has been brought into in civil cases where difficult and robust cross-examination has been required.

Notable Cases

Past notable cases can be viewed below. Click here to see a list of recent notable cases.

First instance

R v Carter & Cox (Guildford Crown Court - alleged child abuse - widely reported in the media)

R v Miah (CCC alleged baby shaking murder)

R v Shripka (CCC alleged baby shaking murder)

R v Lindo (Bristol CC multiple murder and attempted murder)

R v Joof (Leicester CC Alleged gang associated murder)

R v Jovetic (CCC Pink Panther Diamond robbery and attempted murder)

R v Labastide (CCC Alleged gang associated murder)

R v Richmond (CCC Alleged gang associated murder)

R v Santharatnam (CCC Alleged gang associated murder)

R v Esprit (CCC Alleged gang associated murder)

R v Vujovic (CCC Murder and kidnap)

R v Mehmet Goren (CCC alleged honour killing of daughter)

R v Al-alas & Wray (ground-breaking allegation of child murder, which has led to a wider appreciation of rickets in both the criminal and family courts)

R v Graham (allegation of triple murder arising out of the Birmingham riots)

R v Akbar CCC (murder)

R v Sivanesam CCC (murder)

R v Yiannakas (VAT fraud and confiscation)

Divisional Court

Connolly v Dale [1996] 1 Cr App R 200DC (only known case of a police officer being found to be in contempt for seeking to prevent a solicitor from interviewing witnesses prior to the police conduct of an identification parade)

Privy Council

R v Marvin Murphy Case No. 40701 (Appeal from Bahamas, instructed as leading counsel)

Contact Michael

Criminal Appeals

Court of Appeal

R v Fulton (appeal from Northern Irelands longest running murder trial involving multiple terrorist offences)

R v Jeremy Bamber (appeal against wrongful conviction on multiple murder)

R v Hagans(West Midlands Serious Crime Squad)

R v Wilson (West Midlands Serious Crime Squad)

R v Browning (M 50 Murder)

R v Hickery and others (murder of Carl Bridgewater)

R v Twitchell (murder confession arising from torture by the West Midlands serious crime squad)

R v Hoshan and others (the Iraqi Hijack case)

R v Brown (West Midlands Serious Crime Squad)

R v Joof(gang related murder appeal on grounds of non-disclosure)

R v Santharatnam (appeal on grounds of non-disclosure)

Contact Michael

Notable Cases & News

Garden Court Chambers and Garden Court North remember Ian Macdonald QC

Garden Court Chambers and Garden Court North were honoured to host a memorial event for Ian Macdonald QC 1939-2019 at Middle Temple Hall on Tuesday 7 February 2023.

17 February 2023

Garden Court secures top tier rankings in the Legal 500 2023

Garden Court Chambers is proud to be recognised as a Top Tier set again in the Legal 500.

30 September 2022

Members of the Garden Court Chambers Crime Team support escalating proposed CBA action to include days of action

17 June 2022

Stephanie Harrison QC, Chair and Joint Head of Garden Court Chambers, comments on the Nationality and Borders Bill receiving Royal Assent

29 April 2022

Garden Court Crime Team statement on no returns action

30 March 2022

Garden Court secures number one rankings in Chambers UK Bar Guide 2022

21 October 2021

Garden Court Chambers Crime Team shortlisted for Crime Set of the Year by Chambers Bar Awards 2021

We are delighted to announce that the Garden Court Chambers Crime Team has been shortlisted by the Chambers Bar Awards 2021 for Crime Set of the Year.

27 August 2021

Michael Turner QC: "Youth violence can be reduced, if we face the difficult truths"

Michael Turner QC writes for The Express on youth violence.

13 April 2018

18 defendants acquitted of sexual offences following late disclosure of vital evidence by the prosecution

Michael Turner QC of Garden Court was first on the indictment and represented one of the defendants, Atiq Hussain.

9 February 2018

Garden Court barristers secure collapse of murder trial against UK Grime star CBiz

Michael Ivers QC, Michael Turner QC, Martin Huseyin and Sam Robinson are all members of the Crime Team.

18 January 2017

Defendants acquitted of £11.5 million money laundering conspiracy

Michael Turner QC, Nerida Harford-Bell and Keir Monteith of the Garden Court Chambers Crime Team represented the defendants.

23 August 2016

‘Heathrow 13’ defendants avoid jail

Nine defendants were represented by Garden Court's Michael Turner QC, Owen Greenhall and Sebastian Elgueta.

24 February 2016

Garden Court Crime Team welcomes Gove’s decision to scrap legal aid contracting regime

The Garden Court Crime Team welcomes the Government’s announcement to abandon the dual contracting regime.

29 January 2016

Chambers UK Bar Guide ranks Garden Court in Band 1

Garden Court Chambers recognised as a leading set for immigration, social housing, civil liberties, police law, Court of Protection, crime and inquests and public inquiries.

30 October 2015

Garden Court wins Legal 500 crime set of the year award

The winners in these awards are chosen by the Legal 500 as a result of thousands of interviews with firms, sets and counsel.

8 October 2015

Parents found innocent of child abuse after their baby was removed and adopted

The mother was represented at court by her barristers, Michael Turner QC and Emma Fenn of Garden Court Chambers.

7 October 2015

Garden Court Chambers ranked Band 1 in Chambers UK 2014

We are once again delighted to have been ranked as a leading set by Chambers and Partners in the Chambers UK 2014 directory.

31 October 2013

Garden Court Chambers recommended as Top Tier Set in Legal 500 2013

Garden Court Chambers is once again delighted to have been recommended as a Top Tier Set in this year's Legal 500. We are recommended in six areas of law as a set, with 11 silks and 27 junior barristers recognised individually.

25 September 2013

All related news

Background

Michael was brought up in the law centre movement working at both North Kensington Law centre and Harlesden Advice centre before coming to the Bar. Those early experiences of assisting both individuals and communities to secure the justice denied them fuelled a passion in Michael to fight against injustice in whatever form and he has always sought Chambers with a similar ethos. Michael was a tenant at both Cloisters (the chambers of John Platts-Mills KC, David Turner-Samuels KC and Laura Cox KC), and 14 Tooks Court (the chambers of Michael Mansfield KC), before joining Garden Court Chambers in July 2003.

Michael's passion for justice has led him to become a leading advocate for the Bar. He is a former Chairman of the Criminal Bar Association, having been elected as its vice-chair in 2011. His strident views on behalf of those reliant on the publicly funded Bar have received considerable press coverage.

His pursuit of justice does not end with the Bar and he has supported just community campaigns in Dorset, a county close to his heart. Michael was a keen and successful sportsman in his youth playing both rugby, tennis and squash at county level. In later years he coached both rugby and tennis only recently hanging up his boots as a rugby coach. He is an avid Arsenal supporter and passionate family man with three successful children. Michael is a founder member and co-ordinator of the Edward Quist-Arcton Trust, which provides an annual scholarship for black South African lawyers.

Professional Membership

  • Criminal Bar Association

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