Stephen Wood KC and Kathryn Pitters prosecuted this exceptionally complex and challenging case involving five defendants charged with conspiracy to murder two victims following the machete attack in Bradford on 11 May 2025. One of the victim’s hand was completely severed and he also sustained a partial amputation of a leg. The other victim sustained stab injuries to the neck.
A West Yorkshire Police, PSCO was also convicted of conspiracy to pervert the course of public justice having accessed police systems and passed on highly confidential material held in relation to the investigation of the attack.
Stephen and Kathryn were instructed by Claire MacDonald of the Yorkshire and Humberside, CPS, Complex Casework Unit.
The prosecution involved the painstaking analysis and presentation of a substantial body of evidence, including CCTV footage, telephone and digital communications, investigative material and extensive witness evidence.
The complexity of the case was compounded by the discharge of the jury in August 2026 following allegations of jury tampering, and the subsequent continuation of the trial before His Honour Judge Jonathan Rose sitting alone in a rare application of section 46 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003.
This presented the prosecution with significant additional legal, procedural and practical challenges, requiring the careful reassessment and presentation of a substantial case in an entirely different trial format.
The proceedings demanded sustained expert advocacy, considerable tactical judgment and exceptional attention to detail in issues of fact and law.
The convictions, announced by the Judge on 6 November 2026, represent the culmination of a highly demanding prosecution.