Hannah Williams

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“This is an excellent set that has worked hard to secure a well-deserved position amongst the leading sets at the Criminal Bar.”
Chambers UK Bar, 2022

Personal profile

Hannah is instructed in all areas of criminal law and is confident to deal with complex legal and factual issues giving her insight that is far beyond her year of call.

She has extensive experience in a broad range of serious criminal offences including attempted murders, cases including firearms and shootings, blackmail, kidnap, rape and allegations of fraud.

In addition to her defence practice, Hannah is currently a Level 3 Prosecutor on the CPS Advocate Panel List and prosecutes a range of offences at that level.

Hannah has a growing practise of cases involving violence, drugs and organised crime and has a particular interest and expertise in representing young people and vulnerable defendants facing serious offences. She is empathetic, able to build a quick rapport with lay clients and provide clear advice.

Hannah receives instructions in confiscation proceedings as well as civil matters such as applications for Criminal Behaviour Orders and Sexual Harm Orders which she has successful opposed at fully contested hearings.

Hannah has wide regulatory experience alongside her busy criminal practise. Hannah has been instructed by the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) to present cases and has also been instructed to defend nurses in cases before the NMC. Before coming to the Bar, Hannah worked at Kingsley Napley LLP as a Regulatory Legal Assistant.

Hannah previously lived in Accra (Ghana) completing a placement for an NGO supporting the economic participation of women and promoting gender equality. She was a team leader for Trussell Trust Foodbanks and is currently a Co-opted Governor at a local primary school.

Crime

Hannah is instructed in all areas of criminal law and is confident to deal with complex legal and factual issues giving her insight that is far beyond her year of call.

Featured Cases

R v C [2024] Hannah was instructed alone to defend C who was alleged with attempted murder in a multi handed stabbing case caught on CCTV. She successfully negotiated a plea to s.18 GBH despite the fact that the Complainant nearly lost his arm and a significantly reduced sentence due to his young age.
R v G [2024] Hannah was the only successful acquittal when defending G in a multi-handed PWITS Class A trial over six days.
R v P [2024] Hannah defended P who faced an indictment with counts of kidnap, blackmail and robbery. No evidence was offered on all counts on the first day of trial when disclosure was highlighted that undermined the Complainant’s account.
R v M [2023] Hannah successfully defended M at trial who was alleged with rape. The case included detailed arguments in relation to previous sexual history under s.41 and bad character.
R v M [2023] Hannah was led by a silk in a trial of attempted murder. M was alleged to be one of the gunmen seen on footage shooting the complainant 19 times. M had not guilty verdicts entered after a second hung jury after a four-week re-trial.
R v B [2023] Hannah defended B in allegations of sexual communications with children. B was alleged to have met the children in person and then communicated with them at length on snapchat. B also had previous convictions for the same offences. B was acquitted after a seven-day trial.
R v H [2022] Hannah successful represented a defendant acquitted of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. Hannah successfully defended the 19-year-old who faced multiple firearm charges after a three-week trial and he was found not guilty on every charge. The case arose from a shooting incident where a firearm was discharged outside a block of flats. The young person was one of multiple males present at the scene and shown in footage from the fast-moving incident.
R v L [2022] Hannah was instructed as junior counsel in a 12-handed case involving multiple counts of kidnap and blackmail in relation to alleged organised crime group which lasted 15 weeks at which point the jury was discharged. Hannah was also instructed in the re-trial in 2023.
R v T [2022] – Hannah defended T who was a 17-year old alleged to have been involved in a ‘honey trap’ kidnap and robbery. Her role was said to have been luring the Complainant with sexual messages to the trap where the co-defendants awaited with weapons. T was found to be unfit. After legal arguments the Crown amended the indictment to an assault by beating which T had admitted in interview. T was found to have done the act and Hannah successfully argued for a discharge.
R v B [2022] Where B faced multiple counts of breaches of a non-molestation order, Hannah successfully made an application to dismiss on all counts after the Crown made an application to amend the indictment on the first day of trial.
R v M [2022] Hannah successfully defended M who was found not guilty on all counts of domestic burglaries after a four-day trial.
R v G [2022] G faced multiple counts of possessing drugs with intent to supply. Hannah successfully defended him on all counts after a three-day trial.
R v C [2022] Hannah represented C and successfully defended him on counts of controlling and coercive behaviour and assaults after a six-day trial.
R v S [2021] Hannah was the only successful acquittal when defending S in a multi-handed PWITS Class A trial over five days.
R v L [2021] – Hannah successfully defended L who faced counts of theft against his vulnerable neighbour after a five-day trial and cross examination of the Complainant using the s28 procedure of pre-recoded cross examination.
R v B [2021] – Hannah successfully defended B in relation to an incident at a football match after a four-day trial of affray and avoided a football banning order.
R v L [2021] – Hannah represented L in a multi handed trial of affray regarding an incident at a youth offenders institute. After four days of trial the Crown offered no evidence on all counts due to issues regarding disclosure and PII.
R v N [2021] – Hannah made successful submissions in mitigation on N’s behalf after he entered a guilty to Class A PWITS and he received a suspended prison sentence.
R v V [2020] – Hannah was instructed as sole counsel to defend D1 who was accused of running a drugs line in a county lines conspiracy case. There was already a wealth of complex documentation – evidence extracted from various burner telephones, £30,000 seized as suspected criminal property, the alleged trafficking of young people from London and a large quantity of drugs.
R v S [2020] – Hannah successfully represented S, a young person, who was acquitted of affray after a five-day trial involving CCTV showing the use of weapons. She also represented him in proceedings involving PWITS Class A and made representations after a positive NRM referral which led to the Crown offering no evidence on half the charges.
R v W [2020] – W was found not guilty of harassment after a two-day trial.
R v A [2020] – Hannah defended A who faced an indictment with counts of fraud and ill-treatment/ wilful neglect of an individual in A’s care. No evidence was offered on all counts shortly before the trial commenced.
R v S [2019]- Hannah succeeded in running the defence of non-insane automatism after calling a defence expert and S was acquitted of all offences.
R v Q [2019] – Hannah was junior defence counsel in the 7-week trial before the Crown Court in Newcastle. The defendant faced a historic multiple count indictment of ill-treatment/ neglect of care home residents lacking capacity whilst working as a mental health nurse.
R v D [2019] – D faced multiple counts of fraud to a total value of approximately £500,000 and possession of false identification documents with intent to use them. D pleaded guilty to all counts on a basis of coercion that did not amount to duress which the Crown accepted. He was also in breach of an 18-month SSO and received a total sentence of 46 months custody.
R v R [2019] – Hannah represented a youth defendant for charges of s.20 GBH and possession of an offensive weapon where she successfully opposed a hearsay application which resulted in the Crown offering no evidence on all offences.
R v D [2018] – D was charged with ABH in relation to an allegation he had repeatedly punched his ex-partner. There was extensive evidence of injuries. D was acquitted after running self-defence at trial.
R v A [2018] – A was a youth who pleaded guilty to a gang related affray and possession of an offensive weapon. A was sentenced to an 18-month DTO in the youth court. Hannah successfully appealed this to the Crown Court where it was reduced to a 12-month DTO.
R v W [2018] – W was found not guilty after trial of possession of an offensive weapon and assault charges.

Regulatory & Professional Disciplinary

Hannah has wide regulatory experience for both prosecuting and defending and, in particular, in relation to health care professions.

Hannah has been instructed by the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) to present cases and has also been instructed to defend nurses in cases before the NMC. Before coming to the Bar, Hannah worked at Kingsley Napley LLP as a Regulatory Legal Assistant.

Featured Case