Simon Young, instructed by GT Lawyers, acted for the appellant in the appeal against conviction for murder. The incident occurred after a family lunch to discuss the division of the appellant’s grandmother’s estate, after which the appellant shot dead two relatives and wounded two others with a pistol in a nearby park. The appellant was sentenced to life imprisonment.
In the trial below, the appellant unsuccessfully relied on the defence of diminished responsibility. In the Court of Appeal, it was argued that the legal burden placed on the appellant was unconstitutional. The Court of Appeal rejected this argument and dismissed the appeal.
The appeal in the Court of Final Appeal will be heard on 8 May 2024.
The full judgment is available here.