Rachel Brand Q.C.

Practice details

Specialist criminal advocate, instructed by both prosecution and defence in the most serious cases, including homicide, drug and gang-related firearms offences and other organized crime, substantial armed robbery, sexual offences, and some large-scale dishonesty and fraud.   Significant experience of homicide cases involving the death of infants and young children, and the complex medical issues which can arise in such cases.   Frequently instructed to represent vulnerable defendants, and those with a history of mental illness. 

Has particular expertise in allegations of rape and other serious sexual offences, and other cases involving DNA profiling evidence (appeared, as a junior, in R v Doheny and Adams 1997,  leading case on statistical interpretation of DNA evidence).   Instructions to prosecute have included substantial trials involving historic allegations of sexual offences, arising from large-scale police enquiries into local authority care homes.  

Examples of factual background in recent instructions :

Prosecution

• Of a serving police officer for the murder of his partner
• Of 5 defendants, charges of murder (petrol thrown and ignited), conspiracy to murder and perverting the course of justice
• Foreign national for the murder of a housemate
• Of a serving police officer for serious sexual offences (historic)
• Of a defendant for the murder of a young woman in her own home
• Several prison officers, allegations of gross negligence manslaughter and misconduct in public office
• Defendant with a long-standing history of mental illness, who killed an elderly neighbour in her own home

Defence

• A defendant charged with the murder of 3 men in the 1990's, unfit to be tried in the normal way therefore trial of whether he 'did the acts'
• One of three defendants charged with the (financially motivated) murder of an elderly disabled man in his own home
• Several  (separate cases) of alleged ‘contract’ or ‘execution’ murders (shootings)
• A 19 year old defendant charged with the murder of a shopkeeper during the course of a robbery
• A defendant who murdered his elderly aunt and uncle
• A woman who killed her 6 year old daughter    (manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility),  including successful appeal against sentence of IPP
• Murder of several victims by setting fire to a hotel
• A woman charged with murder of her partner
• An 18 year old defendant charged with murdering his mother
• A middle-aged woman charged with the murder of her elderly mother-in-law
• Fraud by NHS dentists

Continuing professional development

Midland Circuit Advocacy trainer.     Has lectured on sexual offences, trials of mentally ill defendants, and on issues surrounding the presentation of expert evidence.