Will Durrands

Barrister

Will is a committed criminal defence barrister dedicated to the best interest of his clients. His clear, focused advice and persuasive trial advocacy means he is regularly instructed in cases beyond his call. Will has experience in cases involving serious violence, firearms and organised crime, both as a led junior and as a junior alone. Will has particular interest in cases giving rise to abuse of process.

A capable and personable advocate, Will has extensive experience representing young and vulnerable clients charged with serious crimes.

Associated Work

Will was instructed in the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry between March 2022 and September 2023 working as part of a team of junior counsel in a disclosure review addressing various Rule 9 requests on work streams largely relating to the conduct of Post Office investigators and prosecutors.

Will contributed to the book Human Rights in Criminal Law (1st Ed, 2023), writing the chapter on Article 9 of the ECHR (Freedom of Thought, Conscience and Religion).

Background

Prior to joining Chambers, Will gained a number of years’ experience working at two leading London human rights and criminal defence firms where he gained experience in all areas of criminal law, extradition, public law and regulatory matters.

Qualifications

BPTC (Outstanding), UWE Bristol
GDL (Merit), UWE Bristol
BSc Hons. Biology, University of Manchester

Memberships

Criminal Bar Association

R v DC – Sole defence counsel in multi-handed Insulate Britain case prosecuted by silk and junior.
R v DM – multi-handed s.18/violent disorder, successful application to vacate earlier plea to s.18 ultimately resulting in an acceptable plea to s.20. D was sentenced to a community order.
R v TB – D acquitted after trial facing allegations of racial abuse of Manchester United players at the FA Cup Final.
R v AB – Acted for a well-known YouTuber who was unlawfully arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000. The case was dismissed at half time following cross-examination of the arresting officer.
R v JA – Junior alone in 4-week conspiracy to commit armed robbery trial, acquitted (DM link to sentence for those convicted).
R v NT – Junior alone in a case involving attempted GBH and possession of firearms with intent to endanger life. The allegation involved a 13-hour siege of a property with the defendants firing at and throwing projectiles onto police vehicles surrounding a tower block (BBC link).
R v NA – Led Junior acting for the lead defendant charged with possession of firearms with intent to endanger life in a case involving complex legal argument over the admissibility of gang evidence and the status of police ‘expert’ witnesses.
R v AM – multi-handed s.18/20 GBH, violent disorder and bladed article trial, acted for D1.
R v MS – Led Junior. Acting for D charged in a conspiracy to supply class A drugs in a complex case involving extensive conventional phone and EncroChat evidence.
R v ZG – D1 in multi-handed cannabis cultivation case, acquitted.
R v EL – D charged with cultivation cannabis, acquitted after trial after running a s.45 Modern Slavery Act defence.
R v AW – D sentenced to 6y after guilty pleas to conspiracy to supply 88kg of cocaine and 38kg of MDMA.
R v HM – D with complex mental health issues sentenced to time served after acceptable pleas were entered on two indictments containing 15-counts alleging, inter alia, burglary with intent to commit GBH and affray.
R v LH – D charged with aggravated burglary involving CCTV, cell site and DNA evidence, acquitted after 9-day trial.
R v SW – D charged with ABH and non-fatal strangulation, successful abuse of process argument and submission of no case to answer led to part of the indictment being stayed and a not guilty verdict being entered on the remaining count.
R v IC – D charged with s.18 GBH, acquitted.
R v SB – D charged with defrauding Hilton Hotels.
R v ZG – D acquitted after trial on charges of cultivation of cannabis.
R v RN – D was charged in a conspiracy to supply class A drugs alongside three others and possession of a bladed article alone. He received a suspended sentence after entering a late guilty plea.
R v WE – D was charged with the burglary of a cannabis factory on a joint enterprise basis, his co-defendant had pleaded guilty and D was arrested running away from the scene with his vehicle parked at the back of the property. D was acquitted after trial.
R v PM – D sentenced to a Suspended Sentence after defrauding his co-directors out of £100k.
Youth Court
R v A – D was charged with burglary and possession of a bladed article and had a number of complex developmental, emotional and psychological difficulties. D was acquitted after trial following successful s.45 Modern Slavery Act submissions.
R v B – Acted for a youth convicted after trial of a knifepoint robbery committed whilst subject to a YRO with ISS for a separate knifepoint robbery. Successfully persuaded the Court not to sentence RD to custody but instead issue a further YRO.
R v D – D was originally charged with a s.18 GBH (stabbing), the CPS were persuaded to accept a plea to s.20 GBH. D was sentenced to a referral order.
Protest Rights
R v LD – Animal Rebellion, allegations of criminal damage against Harrods and Aston Martin.
R v AD – Extinction Rebellion, in this two-day appeal against a conviction for criminal damage arising out of the original XR protests in 2018 at the venue for the AGM of a global coal mining company.
Extinction Rebellion – Will has represented a number of XR activists charged with obstructing the highway and criminal damage offences from several of the group’s rebellions.