Calum McNicholas
Crime
Calum’s advocacy has been described by the Court of Appeal as “clear, cogent, and very persuasive”.
Having quickly established a busy practice, Calum appears daily in the Crown Court. He is instructed in a wide range of serious criminal trials: GBH with intent, arson with intent to endanger life, false imprisonment, knife-point robbery, rioting and violent disorder, and others.
Calum successfully opposed an Attorney General’s Reference in the Court of Appeal; represented the first Defendant 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 appeared multiple times in the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division).
Notable Cases
R v WB
Represented the Respondent against an Attorney General’s Reference in the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division). The case involved a s.18 offence causing life-threatening injuries. Calum persuaded the Court that the AG’s submissions would unduly restrict the role of a sentencing Judge, and that the life-threatening injuries did not require an A1 sentence on the Guidelines.
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 R
Represented a man acquitted of a knife-point robbery of an elderly male in his own home. The case involved Calum cross-examining multiple witnesses, including a vulnerable complainant, a cell site expert, and multiple police officers.
R v L
Represented a man accused of robbing the same store on two consecutive nights. Following a 5-day trial, the jury returned Not Guilty verdicts on both counts.
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. This case involved cross-examining a Complainant who was under the age of 16. The Defendant was acquitted.
R v H
Represented one of the first Defendants to receive the ISC sentence at Teesside Crown Court. The Defendant had pleaded guilty to PWITS heroin. Calum sought expert evidence from a psychiatrist and was able to advance “uniquely powerful” mitigation to enable the Defendant to avoid prison.
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.
