Criminal Defence
She has a busy and varied practice and has gained considerable crown court experience as trial counsel. She is instructed in serious cases of violence, sex offences, dishonesty, drug offences, public disorder, immigration offences and fraud. She has appeared in the Court of Appeal and regularly drafts advices and grounds of appeal to the Court of Appeal and for judicial review.
Eleanor is committed to representing publicly funded defendants charged with the most serious offences. She has a particular interest in protester cases and has been involved in various cases including representing student activists protesting against education cuts.
Reported Cases
R v Henry Opiote [2012] EWCA Crim 438 – appeal against sentence of 12 years imprisonment, causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
Notable cases
R v K & Oths (Wood Green Crown Court) – Counsel for defendant (first on indictment) charged with conspiracy to steal large quantities of wine. Only defendant to be found not guilty.
R v G (St Albans Crown Court) – Led junior for defendant charged with serious child sex offences.
R v C (Woolwich Crown Court) – Counsel for defendant (first on indictment) charged with GBH with intent.
B v S & Oths (Central Criminal Court) – Counsel for defendant (first on indictment) in multi-handed affray trial.
R v H & othrs (Blackfriars Crown Court) – Counsel for defendant in multi-handed robbery trial.
R v R (Basildon Crown Court) – Counsel for defendant charged with serious benefit fraud. Confiscation proceedings are ongoing.
R v K & R v B (Highbury Corner Magistrates Court)– Counsel for defendants charged with public order offences arising out of student protests against education cuts at SOAS University. Both were successfully acquitted.
R v C (Bristol Magistrates Court) – counsel for graffiti artist and chairman of the Peoples Republic of Stokes Croft charged with criminal damage in relation to a mural/sign painted on the side of a building. See their press release.
R v B & Oths “Raytheon 9” (Belfast Crown Court) – part of the defence team, led by Lord Gifford QC, for anti-war activist in 2006 protest against Israel Defence Force bombing of civilians in Lebanon.
Eleanor has also been involved in the extensive preparation of three complex gang-related murder trials at the Central Criminal Court and represented defendant’s charged with murder, terrorism offences and complex frauds at preliminary hearings.
Inquests & Inquiries
Eleanor has extensive inquest experience including inquests involving serious allegations of lack of care and system failure. She represents families and other interested persons.
Notable cases
Leveson Inquiry – recently instructed as junior counsel to Judith Farbey QC (Doughty Street Chambers) to represent a witness who gave evidence at the Leveson Inquiry during “Module 1 – the relationship between the press and the public, phone-hacking and other illegal behavior.”
Inquest into the death of Charlotte Shaw – instructed as junior counsel to Dr Michael Powers QC for the family of Ms Shaw who drowned whilst training for the Ten Tors challenge on Dartmoor. (The inquest was widely reported in the national press and Eleanor was specifically mentioned in the local press)
Inquest into the death of Luca DiBerardinio – Counsel for the family of Blushes Chelsea wine bar manager who fell to his death following an argument with his girlfriend.
Inquest into the death of Sean Josephs – Counsel for the family of a male who died after being discharged from hospital, failure to diagnose life-threatening condition.
Inquest into the death of Mervyn Metcalfe – Instructed as junior counsel for Avon Fire and Rescue Service. Mr Metcalfe died of carbon monoxide poisoning following a fire at his home where the rescue service had failed to gain entry.
Inquest into the death of Cecil Barnes – Instructed as junior counsel for the family of Mr Barnes who died at Plymouth Hospital following the failure of life saving equipment.
Public and Prison Law
Eleanor practices in all areas of prison law; she regularly represents prisoners at parole board hearings and adjudications and is instructed to advise on grounds for judicial review.
Recent Cases
Parole Board v A – successful transfer to open conditions, prisoner convicted of murdering his half-sister.
Parole Board v D – successful re-release, prisoner serving automatic life imprisonment for possession on an imitation firearm.
Parole Board v M– successful transfer to open conditions, IPP prisoner convicted of serious knife-point robbery.
International Criminal Law
Eleanor is currently on the ICTY (International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia) Legal Officers roster and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon Defence Office roster.
She was legal assistant for the defence team of the lead accused, Issa Sesay, at the Special Court for Sierra Leone. Sesay was Interim leader of the Revolutionary United Front, charged with crimes against humanity, war crimes and other serious violations of international humanitarian law.
She has also worked as a legal associate for DC-Cam, a Cambodian NGO working with the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC, Khmer Rouge Tribunal) where she was jointly responsible for designing and implementing an international law training course for the Judicial Police.
Eleanor Hutchison recently worked at MZM Legal in Mumbai, India, having been awarded a Pegasus Scholarship by the Honorable Society of the Inner Temple. MZM Legal is one of India’s leading Full Service Law Firms specialising in White Collar Criminal Defence, Criminal Compliance, Criminal & Civil Litigation, Dispute Resolution, Economic Offences, International Extradition and Transnational Crime.
Articles, Publications and Training
Eleanor provides CPD accredited lectures on all aspects of her practice. She has lectured on Criminal Appeals, Judicial Review, Youth Sentencing and International Criminal Law.
“Holding the Khmer Rouge Accountable: Criminal Liability at the ECCC” published in DC-Cam’s Searching for the Truth Magazine, August 2006.
International Law Training (pilot course) for the Judicial Police, ECCC (Cambodia, 2006).