Criminal Defence

F, a Portuguese national, was charged with possession of a firearm. He was expected to receive a mandatory five year custodial sentence, but due to the work done by David Phillips and Partners solicitors, his sentence was reduced to only two years.

F was arrested following a search of his HGV vehicle in which a firearm and three spent cartridges were found. The prosecution argued that the court had no discretion and that the mandatory five year custodial sentence should be applied.

David Phillips and Partners criminal defence solicitors took the view that F’s was an exceptional case. He was a Portuguese national who held a firearms licence there. He accepted his guilt from the start. And we arranged for the gun and cartridges to be examined by a ballistics expert, which further supported F’s case.

As a consequence, the judge in F’s case agreed that the mandatory sentence should not be applied and reduced it to only two years. F’s case resulted in nationwide publicity for him and his criminal defence solicitors in Portugal.