Alistair Haggerty

Alistair joined the Crime Team as a tenant in October 2014, following a successful pupillage under the supervision of Charles Thomas. He is a CPS Grade 2 panel advocate, who also prosecutes on behalf of the Welfare, Rural and Health Division, UK Border Agency and the Home Office. In addition, Alistair has a well-established and diverse defence practice. He is frequently instructed to represent defendants in Crown Court and Youth Court trials and to represent prisoners at parole board hearings. He has also appeared in the Court of Appeal in appeals against conviction and sentence.    

Alistair prosecutes and defends in the full range of criminal cases, including serious violence, fraud, drugs, arson with intent, sexual offences, aggravated burglary, robbery and firearms. He is also frequently instructed in cases which arise in a domestic context, and has recently lectured on the new controlling and coercive behaviour legislation.

He combines a detailed knowledge of the law and a forensic approach to preparation with a natural empathy and ability to judge the emotional tone of a case. It is this skill which has seen him praised, by judges and instructing solicitors, for his ability with vulnerable complainants and defendants, young witnesses, and those suffering from serious mental health problems.

In addition, Alistair has been instructed, by both individuals and companies, in a variety of driving matters. These include causing death by careless driving, dangerous driving, and driving whilst under the influence of drink and drugs. He is also experienced in successfully advancing exceptional hardship arguments and special reasons for individuals at risk of losing their licences due to the accumulation of penalty points. Alistair’s comprehensive and practical knowledge of road traffic law has seen him instructed by several high-profile clients.

Prior to commencing pupilage, Alistair worked in Mississippi for six months, where he assisted lawyers representing individuals on Death Row. His work included drafting a petition for clemency to the state governor and investigating pathology reports on shaken baby deaths.  

Alistair is a dynamic, meticulous and committed advocate. Whether prosecuting or defending, he thrives on the opportunity to speak up for those who cannot speak up for themselves.

RECENT CASES

• R v S (2019) currently instructed to defend a man with a serious mental illness accused of arson with intent to endanger life.
• R v H (2019) currently instructed to defend a man accused of a knifepoint aggravated burglary on an elderly victim.
• R v W and Others (2019) currently instructed to represent one of the defendants in a case concerning large-scale violent disorder amongst football fans.
• R v W (2019) successful prosecution of a defendant who had violently robbed three people on the streets of Cheltenham. Upon being convicted after trial, the defendant received a sentence of 12 years imprisonment.
• R v E (2019) prosecution of a defendant who had posed online as a sixteen year-old boy and a twelve year-old girl in order to contact and groom vulnerable young children on the internet. He had then attempted to meet the children at train stations. An extended sentence of 16 years imprisonment was imposed.
• R v Z (2019) represented a defendant accused of two knifepoint robberies of shop staff whilst wearing a Halloween disguise.
• R v M (2018) prosecution of a defendant accused of setting fire to a charity shop directly below an occupied flat, causing extensive damage. The defendant was found guilty of arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered following a trial.
• R v D (2017) prosecution of a defendant who, whilst staying in a care home, had locked a fellow resident in her room and gouged her eye, causing permanent blindness.
• R v R (2017) defended a client accused of multiple breaches of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and sexually grooming a teenage girl.
• R v H (2017) defended a woman with a long history of severe psychosis and paranoid schizophrenia for wounding her disabled partner.
• R v C and Others (2016) prosecution junior in a multi-handed conspiracy to supply cocaine.
• R v B (2016) successfully defended a man, with a history of mental health problems and alcoholism, in his trial for inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent.
• R v W (2015) successful prosecution of a £500,000 fraud committed by the defendant against her employer.

Alistair has an established regulatory practice and is on the panel of Specialist Regulatory Advocates. His experience spans a number of regulatory disciplines, including health and safety and environmental law. He has also represented individuals in cases concerning fraudulent trading, intellectual property and trademark regulations. 

He is currently being led by Andrew Langdon QC and James Bennett as part of the prosecution team in HSE v Valero Energy Ltd and B&A Contracts Ltd. The case involves two defendants, including a large multinational oil company, who are being prosecuted for health and safety breaches after four employees were killed, and one very seriously injured, following an explosion at an oil refinery. Alistair has been instructed as disclosure counsel, in a case involving several hundred thousand pages of evidence and unused material, much of which is highly technical and complex.

Alistair is also instructed in proceeds of crime cases. These include proceedings following conviction, but also civil forfeiture and unexplained wealth orders under the recently amended provisions of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. He has a strong grasp of the new legislative framework and case law in this developing area, and is also alert to the tactical considerations which arise in such cases.

RECENT CASES

• HSE v Valero Energy Ltd and B&A Contracts Ltd currently being led by Andrew Langdon QC and James Bennett in this prosecution for health and safety offences arising out of an explosion at an oil refinery in which four people were killed.
• R v S instructed to represent a landscape gardener who was accused of several offences of fraudulent trading.
• R v M defended a man who ran a clothing business and had sold t-shirts online, over a four-year period, in breach of trademark regulations.

Alistair often appears in inquest hearings. Recent instructions include representing Sainsbury’s after one of their employees died at a warehouse, and representing the insurance company at a hearing arising from a fatal road traffic collision. He is familiar with the issues raised at such hearings and is sensitive to the needs and concerns of the parties involved.