Joshua Purser

Joshua was originally instructed as junior counsel alone in this case involving a fight at a Birmingham nightclub, ending in the victim being thrown to his death down some stairs. King’s Counsel was instructed at the point the victim died. Joshua’s intricate knowledge of the case enabled him to take an active role in the preparation of presentational material which included a well-choreographed sequence of events.

Such was Joshua’s knowledge of the case, leading counsel entrusted Joshua with the presentation of the Crown’s case to the jury. Joshua was responsible for the presentation of various decisive pieces of footage which dovetailed with other pieces of evidence to tell a seamless narrative. Joshua called expert medical evidence and presented complex evidence in a way that was digestible for both the jury and the Tigrayan interpreters.

The two defendants in the case were the parents of a deceased, five-week old baby who was found with a catastrophic bleed to the brain alongside 47 healing rib fractures and two femur fractures. The pair faced counts of murder, manslaughter causing or allowing the death of a child, s18 and causing or allowing a child to suffer serious injury. Joshua was instructed pre-charge and assisted leading counsel with the mammoth disclosure exercise. Joshua’s ability to assimilate information and distil a case to that which the jury needs to know and can easily follow was well placed in this case. His knowledge of the evidence meant that sensible concessions could be made in relation to a number of witnesses who were subsequently read, whilst giving no quarter in the areas of evidence that remained important to the Crown’s case.

Joshua is adept at working in a large team and is able to ensure that all voices are heard whilst providing decisive advice on tricky questions of law and tactics. Joshua is well versed at having an oversight across all areas of a complex case and understands the importance of planful, well informed decisions and their impact on the longevity of a case.

The Defendant was accused of various sexual offending against his step-daughters which started off as kissing and inappropriate hugging and was said to have progressed to neck kissing, bum grabbing and rubbing his penis against one of them (clothed). Joshua was instructed from a early stage and was able to demonstrate, through forensic cross-examination that there was a number of significant inconsistencies between the accounts. As a result he secured acquittals in respect of the elder step-daughter. The Defendant was nevertheless convicted of non-penetrative sexual activity with a family member in respect of the younger daughter.

Joshua’s preparation laid the foundation for what would go on to be a successful appear against sentence. Joshua’s sound legal analysis and written submissions at sentence would go on to be adopted by their Lordships in a finding that he 4 year sentence imposed by the trial judge was manifestly excessive. Joshua’s deft hand in the area of sexual offending meant that his analysis of the flawed sentencing exercise was well articulated in his grounds of appeal and adopted without need for expansion at the Court of Appeal. The sentence was quashed and halved upon appeal.

The defendant was jointly charged with others who attended a student house in Leicester on the promise that it’s semi-professional football inhabitants would have property and cash that was ripe for the taking. The defendant and his machete wielding co-defendant’s subjecting the sole occupant of the house to hour long torture before ransacking the house of valuables. The victim was left covered in flour, eggs and alcohol to compound his humiliation. One defendant was identified, in part, by the imprints of his trainers matching the marking on the victims face, a measure of stamping to which the victim was subjected. This was a highly organised ambush. A hotel room was secured in advance and one defendant’s journey from Birmingham at 2200 was plotted to the attack location. Joshua led the prosecution team with his usual approachable attitude. He oversaw the compilation and presentation of the sequence of events and demonstrated a mastery over the facts. The way the narrative was woven by Joshua, skilfully interweaving all of the presentational material, reduced the defence assertion that this was duress to theory of embarrassing incredulity.

Joshua was instructed to defend Kirsty Carless who was accused of murdering her partner, the father of her child on Christmas Day. The case turned upon her intention and mental state when she called a taxi to take her to her victim’s house in the small hours of 25th December and ultimately stabbed him once to the chest, penetrating the heart. Joshua was instrumental in the tactical decisions as to how much of their toxic and volatile relationship when before the jury. The Crown relied upon previous allegations of violence to paint Kirsty as a woman whose rage built and became murderous on the night in question. Joshua built a remarkable relationship with the accused long before the instruction of a silk. It was that trusting foundation which allowed for instructions to be taken, often around sensitive topics, with ease. That trust meant that the client was at ease with pleading guilty to manslaughter at an early stage and the case could be fought on the issue of intent. 3 Joshua’s tactical nouse meant that the preparatory work ahead of trial was well organised and in place in good time. Joshua ensured the early instruction of psychiatric experts

Joshua Purser prosecuted a multi-handed people trafficking case at Birmingham Crown Court which involved the movement of vulnerable refugees within the UK for the purposes of sex work and prostitution. Joshua advised on the case from the outset and orchestrated the cross-jurisdictional enquiries when the complainant’s were repatriated to Romania and became uncontactable.  Joshua was alive to the issues when dealing with liaison prosecutors in foreign territories and tactically astute when it came to the special measures for these vulnerable witnesses.

Joshua successfully applied to play the ABE’s of the absent complainants in the case after a full day’s hearsay argument. This case became the first successful ‘victimless’ prosecution for modern slavery offences, seeing all defendants convicted.

Joshua Purser secured convictions for attempted murder and possession of a firearm with intend to cause fear of violence at Birmingham Crown Court. The Defendant had professionally tracked his victim over the course of the night of 9th September 2023. He set up his ambush in a dark alley in Craneberry Road, Chelmsley Wood and opened fire indiscriminately at 00:58 hours on 10th September. The victim was hit in the neck by one bullet that came to rest in his shoulder. A forensic pathologist told the jury he was millimetres from being killed. He discharged his Glock pistol a further 4 times in the residential area but failed in his assassination attempt.

The defendant was sentenced to a total of 32 years’ custody after the jury unanimously convicted.

Joshua was led by King’s Counsel in this four-handed attempted murder. He acted for one of the gang-members. The facts surrounded a co-ordinated ambush on two suspected drug dealers from a rival gang. The Defendants sourced a vehicle which was subsequently used to ram the victims off the road and into collision with an innocent pedestrian, before opening fire with a sawn-off shotgun at their intended targets. The defence team secured acquittals for their client on attempted murder, and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Joshua led the prosecution team as junior alone in this operation run by Derbyshire and South Yorkshire police. The purpose of the operation was to disrupt county lines drug dealing in the area. Joshua prosecuted two separate 9 handed conspiracies to supply class A drugs. The two test-purchase cases attracted various complexities of modern slavery, disclosure and cell-site evidence. The leading members of the conspiracy were found to be in possession of over £70,000 cash, jewellery designer clothing and assets with one of them using a dog breeding business as a cover.

Joshua secured convictions and findings at a trial of issue. Joshua was then responsible for overseeing the extensive confiscation proceedings which followed. Joshua has a great deal of experience in complex case work such as this and relishes in exploring the threads which run through large, linked police investigations. Joshua has planful approach to these cases which ensure that the team from whom he acts put the best foot forward.