Liam O’Brien
Liam is an experienced criminal practitioner regularly instructed to prosecute and defend in cases involving criminal allegations of the most serious nature.
Liam is a former Amicus intern and spent seven months working with defence attorneys on capital punishment cases in North Carolina.
Notable Cases
R v Dodds (Newcastle)
Murder. A media eport of the case can be found here.
R v Wright (Newcastle)
Local Politician accused of historic child sex offences. A media report of the case can be found here.
R v Nicholson (Newcastle)
Historic sexual abuse. A media report of the case can be found here.
Operations Steinmetz, Bingo, Bandit and Indiana
Sole prosecution counsel in series of interlinked cases involving ten defendants responsible for stealing tens of thousands of pounds from gambling machines throughout the North over a forty-month period. A media report of the case can be found here.
R v Rashid and Others (Teesside)
Secured the conviction following a two-and-a-half-week trial of an experienced conveyancing solicitor who, alongside her husband, was accused of committing offences of fraud by false representation and perverting the course of justice.
R v Belford and Others (Newcastle)
Instructed by the CPS International Justice and Organised Crime Division to prosecute four defendants facing allegations concerning drugs and the transportation, concealment and recovery of a double-barrelled shotgun arising from an extensive undercover surveillance operation. All four defendants were convicted after trial. A media report of the case can be found here.
R v Saunders
Secured the conviction after trial of a man ultimately sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment with a five-year extended licence period for biting off the chin of another male in a Bigg Market nightclub. The case revolved around facial mapping evidence which was adduced following lengthy legal argument.
R v Smallman (Teesside)
Lone Prosecution Counsel in complex fraud involving thirty-one complainants. Defendant convicted after a four-week trial and made the subject of a Serious Crime Prevention Order. A media report of the case can be found here.
R v O (Durham)
Secured the acquittal after trial of an 80-year-old male with no previous convictions facing historic allegations of rape and indecent assault.
R v A (Leeds)
Instructed on behalf of violent recidivist accused of unlawful wounding with intent after attacking a man in his home with a knife. Defendant acquitted after trial.
R v Harkness & Richardson (Newcastle-upon-Tyne)
Prosecution Counsel in case arising from a well-planned armed robbery of a busy hair salon. Both defendants convicted, one after trial. Conviction and sentences of 9 and 10 years’ imprisonment upheld by the Court of Appeal.
R v P (Teesside)
Instructed on behalf of defendant accused of assault by penetration. Acquitted after trial.
R v W (Teesside)
Instructed on behalf of sex worker accused of robbing complainant she alleged was actually an unsatisfied former customer. A media report of the case can be found here.
R v Gosley-Shaw (York)
Instructed to prosecute defendant accused of stealing her 89-year-old grandmother’s life savings. Secured conviction of defendant after trial. A media report of the case can be found here.
