Eleanor Umeyor successful in application to stay proceedings as an abuse of process

Eleanor represented the second defendant in a 4-handed burglary trial being heard at Inner London Crown Court. When the defendant was arrested in the vicinity of the offences, he alerted police to CCTV cameras that would show the offence location and surrounding areas. Comment was made to this effect in police interview and formal requests for CCTV followed in in the defence statement. Despite this, the police failed to pursue this line of enquiry, leaving the defence without potentially exculpatory evidence. On the first day of trial Eleanor successfully argued that the failure to follow reasonable lines of enquiry in this case was so serious that it was now not possible to have a fair trial. Eleanor was instructed and assisted by Bunmi Durojaiye of Living Spring Solicitors.