Calum McNicholas
Crime
Calum has been described by the Court of Appeal as a “conspicuously able and focused” advocate.
Having quickly established a busy practice, Calum appears daily in the Crown Court. He is instructed in a wide range of serious criminal cases: GBH with intent, arson with intent to endanger life, false imprisonment, knife-point robbery, rioting and violent disorder, and others.
Calum represented one of the first Defendants to receive an ISC sentence (being trialled at Teesside Crown Court); and was instructed counsel in the first Crown Court case following the widely reported Middlesbrough and Hartlepool violent disorder of 2024.
Calum has also appeared multiple times in the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division).
Notable Cases
R v LB
Represented the Appellant in the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division). Successfully appealed a Crown Court Restraining Order, both in terms of its excessive duration and overly restrictive wording.
R v G
Represented the defence in first Crown Court case of violent disorder following the widely reported “Southport riots” in Middlesbrough and Hartlepool.
R v T
Represented a 16-year-old boy acquitted of false imprisonment and robbery following a 5-day jury trial.
R v L
Represented the Defendant in a sexual assault trial in circumstances where the defendant was unable to provide an account of the incident due to intoxication. The Defendant was acquitted.
R v S
Defendant was charged with harassment. Made a successful submission of no case to answer on the basis that the conduct, when considered in its social context, was not sufficiently distressing or alarming to meet the threshold for criminal liability. The Defendant was acquitted at the conclusion of the Crown’s case.
Education and Awards
Calum obtained a first-class law degree and an Outstanding on the BPTC. His achievements in this regard were marked by various academic awards:
- Middle Temple’s Certificate of Honour for Bar Course Performance
- University Department Prize for Best Undergraduate Student in Law
- Northumbria Bar Course Honour Roll
- Northumbria Contribution Roll for Excellence in External Advocacy Competitions
Calum competed in and won a range of advocacy competitions, including the Oxford University Press/Inns of Court National Mooting Competition, the Trinity Chambers XIC Competition, and the New Park Court Mitigation Competition.
