Will Durrands

Barrister

Will is a committed criminal defence barrister dedicated to the best interest of his clients. His ability to provide clients with clear, focused advice and persuasive trial advocacy means he is regularly instructed in cases beyond his call. Will has experience in protest and public order offences as well as cases involving violence, drugs, dishonesty and abuse of process.

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

During pupillage, he assisted in the preparation of substantial cases across the criminal spectrum involving firearms, homicide, tax fraud and serious violence.

In addition to criminal law work, Will has been instructed to work on the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry.

Associated Work

Will recently 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

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

Memberships

Network of Police Monitoring (NETPOL)
Criminal Bar Association

R v JA (Inner London CC) – Junior alone in 4-week conspiracy to commit armed robbery trial.
R v NT (Luton CC) – Junior alone in a case involving attempted GBH and possession of firearms with intent to endanger life. The case involved a 13-hour siege of a property with the defendants firing at and throwing projectiles onto police vehicles surrounding a tower block.
R v NA (Wood Green CC) – Led Junior acting for the 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 suitability of police expert witnesses.
R v MS (Luton CC) – 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 EL (Cambridge CC) – D charged with cultivation cannabis, acquitted after trial after running a Modern Slavery Act defence.
R v SW (Guildford CC) – 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 (St Albans CC) – D charged with s.18 GBH, acquitted after 4-day trial.
R v LH (Maidstone CC) – D charged with aggravated burglary involving CCTV, cell site and DNA evidence, acquitted after 9-day trial.
R v SB (Southwark CC) – D charged with defrauding Hilton Hotels.
R v ZG (Plymouth CC) – D acquitted after trial on charges of cultivation of cannabis.
R v RN (Snaresbrook CC) – 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 (Snaresbrook CC) – 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 (Reading CC) – D sentenced to a Suspended Sentence after defrauding his co-directors out of ca. £100k.

Youth Court

R v A (Uxbridge YC) – 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 (Highbury Corner YC) – 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 (Hastings YC) – 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 AD (Southwark CC) – 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 (various) – Will has represented a number of XR activists charged with obstructing the highway and criminal damage offences from several of the group’s rebellions.