Christopher James Bevan
Call: 2019
Christopher James Bevan
Bar Professional Training Course, The University of Law Leeds (2018)
Graduate Diploma Law, University of Plymouth (2016)
BSc (Hons) Psychology, University of Plymouth (2015)
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple; Diana, Princess of Wales Scholarship
The University of Law; Provosts Award for excellence
The Middle Temple, Michael Sherrard QC Access to the Bar Award
Criminal Bar Association
Grade 2 RASSO Panel
Contact
T: 01274 722 560 or 0113 246 2600
Christopher regularly takes instructions in criminal cases in both the Magistrates Court and Crown Court. Since completing his pupillage in 2022, Christopher has grown a Crown Court practice regularly taking instructions in Grade 2 prosecution matters and a variety of defence cases, including sexual offences for the defence.
Reputation
J. Bevan, ‘‘10-year prison sentences for breaching COVID-19 entry requirements into the United Kingdom’? Governmental Decree is undermining the Rule of Law‘, U.K. Const. L. Blog (24th Feb. 2021) (available at https://ukconstitutionallaw.org/))
J. Bevan, ‘Anti-HRA Rhetoric and the Conservative Party 2019 Manifesto: Are the Proposals for a British Bill of Rights and Repeal of the Human Rights Act “Dead in the Water”?’, U.K. Constitutional Law Association (28th Nov. 2019) (available at https://ukconstitutionallaw.org/)
J. Bevan, ‘Do local authorities have the power to impose a full-scale local lockdown?’, The Local Government Lawyer (18th September 2020) (available at localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk)
(Please note, to avoid academic confusion with another barrister of the same name, Christopher publishes using his middle name).
Expertise
Christopher has taken regular instructions in the Court Martial and is familiar with law and procedure and is indeed experienced in the military courts at both trial and sentence. Christopher has dealt with fitness to plead, automatism, and the wider array of common defences. Christopher has been praised for his attention to detail and his kind and considered approach with victims and witnesses. Christopher has dealt with an array of offences for both the prosecution and defence including up to assault occasioning grievous bodily harm in the Crown Court. Christopher has taken instructions in junior briefs and has been led at the Crown Court in multi-handed defendant trials for both the Crown and defence.
Before coming to the independent Bar, Christopher worked in a large local authority in West Yorkshire and is very experienced in dealing with local authority criminal matters. He cut his teeth prosecuting in the Magistrates Court for local authority matters. Since entering into self-employed practice and completing his pupillage, Christopher has regularly taken instructions for a variety of local authorities across the Northeast in relation to serious fly tipping matters, nuisance, and local authority licencing violations.
Christopher’s primary interest in the criminal law, and an area in which he excels are in prosecuting and defending those accused of sexual offences. He is experienced in that regard in Crown Court matters for both the prosecution and defence. He is working towards his CPS Grade 3 and is hoping to join the RASSO panel in order to take more instructions in those offences.
In his spare time, Christopher is a keen songwriter and pianist and may well be found writing a song or working on his next compositional project.
Notable Cases
R -v- I (2024) – Instructed by the Crown in a trial lasting 3 days at Bradford Crown Court. The defendant was found guilty following 4 allegations of historical sexual abuse perpetrated by a man in his mid 20’s against a 13 year old girl between 2010 and 2012.
R -v- T (2024) – Instructed by the Crown in a 9-day trial at Leeds Crown Court where the defendant was accused on 13 counts of sexual activity with his 9 and 14-year-old daughter when they would go stay with him in his caravan. The trial had to be paused overnight to deal with an urgent and unforeseeable disclosure issue.
R -v- B and Others (2024) – Led by senior counsel in a trial at Teesside Crown Court in a case involving a mob attack against two police officers, leading to multiple convictions for GBH and other offences.
R -v- PS (2024) – Instructed by the Crown, this case involved the defendant been convicted after trial following sexually assaulting two young teenagers (male and female) on their way to a shopping mall on a tram in Sheffield.
R -v- NP (2023) – Instructed by the defence to oppose the extension of a sexual harm prevention order. Whilst the order was extended, the Crown Court were persuaded to remove certain terms.
R -v- FC and Others (2023) – Instructed by the defence to represent the young lead defendant in a multi-handed, multi-count trial at Teesside Crown Court, involving GBH, drugs, and possession of a knife. The case resolved with certain pleas, leading to a suspended sentence for the lead defendant.
R -v- MR (2023) – Defendant acquitted following a trial at Durham Crown Court for one count of possessing a knife and threats of violence.
R -v- SL (2022) – Defendant acquitted of sexual assault following a trial in the Court Martial at Catterick.
R -v- DA (2022) – The male defendant was charged with two counts of sexual assault on a male. Christopher persuaded the Crown to only proceed with one of the charges which was subsequently dealt with without the need for a trial in the Court Martial.
R -v- RW and Others (2022) – In a multi-handed youth defendant trial for murder Christopher assisted junior counsel led by a QC in preparation for trial.
Clerks
