Joanne Cecil

Direct Access qualified.

Joanne is a busy criminal practitioner and regularly defends in cases involving serious violent and sexual crime, drug trafficking and financial crime.

She is a specialist in the law relating to proceeds of crime and confiscation and has lectured and written on the subject. She is instructed in confiscation proceedings in the Crown Court and on appeal to the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division).

In addition to her criminal practice, Joanne conducts judicial review proceedings on behalf of prisoners and others in the criminal justice system. She has appeared in the Administrative Court on a regular basis and has lectured on prison law to wide audiences of practitioners.

Joanne has vast experience in international human rights cases and prior to coming to the Bar she worked for the International Justice Project in Washington D.C. for several years and continues to consult on human rights issues to the IJP, governments and NGOs.  She has extensive training and lecturing experience in the Americas, South East Asia (Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia) and Europe.  This encompasses the following areas: international, regional and domestic human rights law; monitoring mechanisms; jurisprudence; procedure in international tribunals; criminal justice with emphasis on juvenile justice, foreign nationals and those with mental disabilities; extra-ordinary rendition; anti-terrorism measures; fact finding, trial observation and qualitative evaluations of justice systems.

She has written widely on the use of the death penalty in a variety of jurisdictions and has drafted amicus curiae briefs in a number of U.S. Supreme Court cases. She is strongly opposed to the use of capital punishment in all circumstances and continues to train practitioners and members of the judiciary both in this jurisdiction and abroad.

Education

LL.B (Hons), Cardiff University (2001) 
BVC, Inns of Court School of Law (2000)

Scholarships

The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple: Otto Rix Scholarship; Sir Joseph Priestley Award and an Internship Award
Amicus: International Human Rights Award
Centre for Capital Punishment Studies: European Commission Award

Notable Recent Cases

Serious Violent and Sexual Offences

R v L and Ors (2011). Snaresbrook Crown Court. Sole counsel for defendant accused of a revenge stabbing in an East End park following the acquittal of a man alleged to have stabbed his brother and his father.

R v A and Ors (2011). Snaresbrook Crown Court. Sole counsel for A, a 14 year old boy, in a multi-handed 8 defendant s18 trial.

R v DN and Ors (2010), Snaresbrook Crown Court, Sole counsel representing 15 year old boy accused of a multi-handed s18 assault on a paranoid schizophrenic who was attacked with golf clubs.

R v A, Aylesbury Crown Court (2010), Sole counsel representing 85 year old man accused of sexual assaults on domestic care staff.

R v A, Blackfriars Crown Court (2010), Sole counsel representing university professor and pastor accused of sexually assaulting young women on the public transport network.

Drugs, Theft and Money Laundering

R v Lambert and Walding, (2012) Court of Appeal Criminal Division, pending – (leave granted [2011] EWCA Crim 39) (POCA: Whether failure to apportion benefit in confiscation proceedings was in breach of Article 1 of the First Protocol, ECHR). Led by Edward Fitzgerald Q.C.

R v R and Ors (2011). Snaresbrook Crown Court, Sole Counsel in large scale multi-handed conspiracy to supply class A drugs in East London (Operation Rissick)

R v A (2011), Snaresbrook Crown Court, cash in transit robberies involving use of firearms and weapons.

R v W and Ors (2010), Huntingdon Crown Court, Sole counsel in large scale car ringing conspiracy.

Selected Appellate Cases

Criminal

R v W (2012) 18 year old pregnant woman. S18 stabbing.  Released on appeal.

R v R [2011] EWCA Crim 2889 (Operation Rissick: undercover operation covering large scale conspiracy to supply heroin and cocaine (in excess of 20 defendants) Parity in sentencing co-defendants following a plea of guilty by R(EA) and trials of co-defendants: adverse view of R(EA) formed following trial.  Sentence reduced on appeal.

R v N & Ors, [2011] EWCA Crim 669 (Conviction of defendants aged 16, 18 and 19 years old at time of offence for s18 wounding with intent.  Correct interpretation and implementation of guidelines.  Sentence reduced on appeal).

R v M [2010] EWCA Crim 2182 (Big Chill Festival, possession with intent to supply class A)

R v G [2008] EWCA Crim 2117 (Supply of class A drugs to an undercover officer, appealed sentence advancing social supply.  Successful on appeal.  Sentence reduced to eight months)

R v H [2008]EWCA Crim 3161 (Firearms and robberies)

R v P [2007] EWCA Crim 3336 (Fraud: faked own death and fraudulent insurance claims made).

Civil

Regina (Ellerton) v Secretary of State for Justice [2010] EWCA Civ 906 Led by Stephen Field (Whether time spent on licence was time spent “unlawfully at large” where prisoner serving concurrent sentences under two statutory regimes released when eligible for parole on one sentence only).

Regina (Oakes) v Secretary of State for Justice and others [2010] EWCA Civ 1169; [2010] WLR (D) 267 Led by Stephen Field (Test to be applied when considering the suitability for automatic release of a prisoner recalled to prison for breaching terms of licence, CJA 2003).

AFP James (R on the application of) v Bedfordshire Probation Trust (2011) Collins J, CO/2105/2011. (Licence conditions, Article 8)

Selected International Cases

Death Penalty and the US Supreme Court

Sanchez-Llamas v. Oregon, 126 S.Ct. 2669 (2006) (U.S. Supreme Court, Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and Article 36 rights in criminal proceedings).  Brief of Amici Curiae, The European Union and Members of the International Community.

Medellin v. Dretke, 544 U.S. 660 (2005) (Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and Article 36 rights in criminal proceedings). Brief of Amici Curiae, The European Union and Members of the International Community.

Roper v. Simmons, 543 U.S. 551 (2005) (Constitutionality of the death penalty as applied to juveniles). Brief of Amici Curiae The European Union and Members of the International Community.

Terrorism

Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, 126 S.Ct. 2749 (2006) (U.S. Supreme Court, legality of military commissions re. Guantanamo & enemy combatants).

Rasul v. Bush, 542 U.S. 466 (2004); Al Odah v. U.S., 542 U.S. 466 (2004); Hamdi v. Rumsfeld 542 U.S. 507 (2004); and Rumsfeld v. Padilla 542 U.S. 426 (2004). (U.S. Supreme Court Guantanamo and detention cases).  Undertook research for attorneys representing Guantanamo detainees.

European Court of Human Rights

Ocalan v Turkey (Effective remedy, right to a re-trial following breaches of Article 6), pending before the European Court of Human Rights.

Meltex Ltd and Mesrop Movsesyan v. Armenia (Application no. 32283/04 (State broadcasting licences, freedom of expression, breach of Article 10 ECHR).

Memberships

Criminal Bar Association

Administrative Law Bar Association

Human Rights Law Association

Bar Human Rights Committee

American Society of International Law

Amicus