Connor Stuart

Call 2019

Principal Areas of Work

• Criminal Law
• Family Law

Testimonials

“An able and seasoned prosecutor”

“He was highly impressive, conducted himself brilliantly throughout the trial and made entertaining and insightful closing submissions.”

“Connor was very good at articulating our case and expressing the importance of the orders wanted for the benefit of the Child. Connor was able to effectively liaise with myself and accurately presented our case to the court which I believe greatly contributed to the positive outcome we were asking the court for.”

Crime

Connor has been appointed to the CPS Advocate Panel at level 2 and as a specialist RASSO prosecutor. Connor has developed a broad practice across the spectrum of criminal offences. He is regularly instructed to appear for the prosecution and the defence in the Crown Court, Youth Court and Magistrates’ Courts on both a private and publicly funded basis.

Recent work includes:

• R v K & Ors [2024] – Led junior for the defence in high-profile care homes case involving deaths attributed to staff negligence. Complex arguments addressing disclosure failures, abuse of process, and s.78 exclusion applications. Opposed a late prosecution application to adjourn the trial for further disclosure and re-instruction of an expert. Application refused, and the prosecution offered no evidence, resulting in all defendants retaining their good character.
• R v G [2024] – Prosecuted a defendant charged with multiple sexual offences, including 18 counts of voyeurism, sexual activity with a child, and the creation of indecent images. Defendant received immediate custodial sentence, lifetime placement on the sex offenders register, and a five-year restraining order.
• R v K [2024] – Defended Ukrainian refugee charged with multiple counts of section 20 assault, threats to kill, and possession of a bladed article. Mitigated exceptional circumstances and personal background; defendant sentenced to 12 months’ custody suspended for 18 months.
• R v B [2024] – Successfully defended in a multi-count ABH, strangulation, and criminal damage trial. Despite significant bad character and previous convictions for similar offences, defendant acquitted of all charges following jury trial.
• R v Y [2023] – Defended client in a multi-million pound drug trafficking case. Successfully argued that the client was a victim of human trafficking, demonstrating that their involvement was under duress and beyond their control. Defendant acquitted of all charges.
• R v C [2023] – Private prosecution involving multiple counts of false accounting. Established that the defendant’s actions led to the company’s insolvency, resulting in significant debt owed to HMRC and 80 staff losing their jobs immediately upon administration. Defendant sentenced to 5 years’ immediate custody.
• R v S [2022] – Prosecuted serious sexual assault trial. Successfully applied to adduce the complainant’s account as res gestae. Defendant convicted.

Family

Connor has established a busy practice in children proceedings and accepts instructions in both private and public law matters. He has appeared on behalf of numerous Local Authorities in a range of Public Law applications ranging from case management and final hearings in the County Court to contested proceedings in the High Court. He has also appeared on behalf of parents successfully fighting for contact with children in care and wider family members seeking special guardianship orders.

Connor has a thriving practice in private children law applications. He has appeared on behalf of parents seeking Child Arrangements Orders in the first instance and also for those seeking to enforce existing arrangements as well as those undertaking Fact-Finding hearings in contested matters.

He has represented parties in cases involving:

• Terrorism offences and radicalisation
• Domestic and international relocation
• Domestic violence
• Sexual abuse
• Substance misuse and addiction
• Learning difference  

He also accepts instructions in other matters relating to relationship breakdown including domestic violence injunctions.

International Criminal Law

Connor has a developing practice in international criminal law, successfully conducting extradition cases at Westminster Magistrates’ Court following the issue of INTERPOL Red Notices, and assisting with advising the Government Legal Service on alleged war crimes in foreign jurisdictions.

Court Martial

Connor trained as an army reservist with the 4^th Battalion, Parachute Regiment (4 PARA), and recently transferred to 299 Parachute Squadron (RE) in Hull. As a result, he has developed a thorough understanding of the requirements and realities of service life, the structure of the Armed Forces, and the Chain of Command practice.

Connor accepts direct instruction from the Armed Forces Legal Aid Authority (AFCLAA) and provides specialist advice to anyone facing AGAI proceedings or pursuing a Redress of Complaint. He also provides representation in connection with appeals before the Reserve Forces Appeal Tribunal.

Professional Appointments

• Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) General Crime Advocate Panel: Level 2.
• Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) RASSO Advocate Panel
• Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Extradition Advocate Panel
• Government Legal Service (GLD): Junior Junior appointed panel counsel.

Education

• MLAW, Northumbria University (2018) – First Class Honours
• BPTC – Very Competent

Inn of Court

• Member of the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple (Call 2019)

Awards/Scholarships

• Northumbria University – Honour Roll (2014)
• Middle Temple – Malcolm Wright Scholar (2017)
• Northumbria University – Contribution Roll (2018)

• Northumbria University – the Family Law Justice Project (2018)
• International KK Luthra Memorial Moot Finalist in New Delhi, India (2018)

Articles

“Do not feed the trolls: policing online communication in 2022”, October 2022 https://www.counselmagazine.co.uk/articles/do-not-feed-the-trolls-policing-online-communication-in-2022

“Failure to prevent fraud – a new criminal offence for big business”, May 2023 https://barristermagazine.com/failure-to-prevent-fraud-a-new-criminal-offence-for-big-business