William Dudley
Year of Call: 2009
CPS Grade: 4
Direct Access
Accredited by the Bar Council and in suitable cases he is happy to accept instructions direct from members of the public. Please see the Direct Access section of this website for further information.
Career overview
After graduating with a 1st class honours degree in Agricultural and Rural Land Management, worked in South Africa as a Game Ranger. Called to the Bar in 2009, and began his legal career at a large national law firm as an in-house advocate dealing with various types of hearings in the civil Courts. Undertook pupillage and then worked as an in-house advocate with one of Birmingham’s largest firms of criminal defence solicitors and barristers, and in that role gained experience in the full spectrum of criminal work at Crown Court and Appellate level.
Practice Summary
Details of practice
Instructed to appear in wide variety of criminal cases, including homicide and serious non-fatal violence and public disorder, robbery, firearms offences, drug offences, money laundering, fraud, and sexual offences. Accustomed to dealing with defendants and witnesses who are vulnerable by reason of age, learning difficulties or mental health issues. Experienced in dealing with POCA applications under various statutory regimes.
Has experience in a wide range of civil matters, and has represented claimants and defendants in personal injury cases, road traffic matters, consumer disputes and infant approval hearings.
Murder and Manslaughter
- Defence junior, represented a mother charged with the murder of her 22-month old infant, ultimately acquitted of both murder and manslaughter.
- Defence junior, represented one of a number of defendants charged with the murder (following torture) of a former soldier.
- Represented an 18 year old defendant charged with the manslaughter of an off-duty police officer, a case which attracted national media attention.
- Defence junior in a murder case with elements of sadism, with issues of fitness to plead.
Sexual Offences
- R -v- N [2013] – successful appeal, sentence imposed for inciting a 12 year old girl to engage in sexual activity after the appellant lured her to his home.
- Represented a defendant charged with rape of a woman after he had lured her to his home and detained her there
- A defendant charged with sexual assault on his 11 year old stepdaughter, acquitted
- Represented a defendant who had impersonated a police officer in order to gain the trust of a woman prior to sexual assault
- Represented a defendant charged with rape of a 15 year old girl, a case which included contested DNA evidence
Drugs and Gang-Related Offences
- Junior Counsel, represented one of a group of defendants charged with conspiracy to supply cocaine to an estimated street value of £2 billion.
- Junior Counsel in a case involving conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, heroin and cocaine, on a national scale over a period of 10 years.
- Represented a youth worker accused of duping her daughter into smuggling drugs through Gatwick airport.
- Represented a defendant charged with conspiracy to import 85 kg of cocaine concealed in a shipping container.
Health and social care
- Regularly appears in Mental Health Review Tribunals to represent patients detained under the Mental Health Act: has represented persons detained under both section 2 and section 3 of the Act, and in restricted and non-restricted cases.
Other notable cases
- Represented a defendant charged with S.18 wounding following an unprovoked attack which left the complainant in a coma for a week.
- A defendant charged with a home-invasion robbery of a deaf and blind man who was living in sheltered accommodation.
- Represented a serving soldier charged with a serious assault in a Birmingham nightclub: acquitted.
- Represented a defendant charged with S.18 wounding on a toddler using a large machete: acquitted.
- Attorney-General’s Reference no. 46 of 2011 [2012] Cr. App. Rep (S) 92 – AG reference, sentence imposed for home invasion robbery.
- R -v- S [2012] EWCA Crim 2389 – successful appeal in respect of a sentence for burglary.
- Represented a defendant accused of assisting the escape of a prisoner from HMP Hewell.
- Represented a woman charged with offences relating to the supply of the firearms which were used to shoot at a police helicopter during rioting in Birmingham.
- Represented a company charged with offences in relation to the sale of meat which was wrongly described as Halal.