PAUL CAVIN KC AND JULIAN JONES SECURE MURDER CONVICTION

Paul Cavin KC and Julian Jones prosecuted a man who chased down and stabbed a 40-year-old father of three to death on Castlegate, Newark for "revenge" after a fight in a pub. Brandon Byrne was found guilty of the murder of James Cook at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday 30th April 2026 at the conclusion of a trial lasting three weeks.

During the trial, the victim was told to get off a pool table in a Newark public house by a member of staff and when the defendant got involved he was headbutted and bitten on the face. The pair were separated and left the premises through different exits. However, the defendant was seen on CCTV footage pulling out a knife and going after the victim who he stabbed, kicked in the head before stabbing again as he lay injured on the ground.

The defences advanced at trial were self-defence and diminished responsibility. Paul Cavin KC and Julian Jones successfully argued that there was an insufficient evidential basis for loss of control to be left to the jury. 

The defendant was sentenced on Friday 1st May 2026 and jailed for life with a minimum term of 23 years.

Paul Cavin KC and Julian Jones were instructed by Stephen Hill of CPS East Midlands. 

Media: BBC News