Millennium Chambers is pleased to report a successful outcome secured by Notu Hoon, who represented one of three defendants indicted on a single count of burglary following a jury trial arising from events at a community centre and temple in Cricklewood.
The prosecution alleged that the defendants, all practising Sikhs from the West Midlands, had entered the premises as trespassers and dishonestly removed five volumes of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, the holy scripture of the Sikh faith.
The defence case was that the defendants attended the premises by prior agreement, were admitted by a resident of the community centre, and removed the books with consent. The defence further relied on the wider religious and cultural context governing the respectful handling and storage of Sikh scriptures, which formed an important backdrop to the allegations.
The premises were operated through a charitable trust. Despite this, the prosecution failed to obtain statements from the majority of the trustees, several of whom had been expressly identified in the defence statements. One trustee had died shortly before trial and the only remaining trustee was too unwell to attend court, leading the Crown to rely on hearsay evidence.
During the trial, the jury raised a specific question regarding the existence of earlier CCTV footage. It was only on the seventh day of the trial, and after the first defendant had concluded his evidence, that the prosecution disclosed additional CCTV footage. That footage supported the defence account and directly undermined the prosecution case.
Following a full-day hearing, the defence advanced an abuse of process application arising from the late disclosure. The Crown subsequently offered no evidence, and all three defendants were formally discharged by direction of the trial judge.
This outcome reflects the importance of rigorous disclosure obligations and careful scrutiny of the prosecution case. Notu Hoon’s advocacy was central to the successful conclusion of the proceedings.
