Philip Tully runs successful autrefois convict defence

May 14, 2018

Philip Tully from Exchange Chambers has successfully run the defence of autrefois convict in a drugs-related criminal trial.

A plea of autrefois convict (French for previously convicted) is one in which the defendant claims to have been previously convicted of the same offence and that he or she therefore cannot be tried for it again.

Philip Tully was instructed by Abraham Solicitors to represent a defendant charged with offences relating to being concerned in the supply of class A drugs in the Manchester area. The defendant had three previous convictions for drug trafficking offences and was already serving a lengthy prison sentence. He had been prosecuted in 2017 for offences resulting from a police investigation and the Crown Prosecution Service sought to prosecute him for additional offences arising from the same investigation.

The case was discharged after the submission to the court of autrefois convict.

Philip is a member of the criminal department at Exchange Chambers.