Jonathan Rosen secures acquittals following attempted murder trial

Jonathan Rosen has today secured the acquittals of a 19 year old university student on charges of attempted murder and with wounding with intent in the alternative. The boy had stabbed his step-father seven times after his step-father had admitted to slapping him for smoking in the house. The step-father had claimed that his step-son had been shouting "die, die, you deserve it" and "that's your fault, you deserve it" as he carried out the attack.

The 19 year old claimed that against a history of physical punishment and verbal abuse he had run to the kitchen and grabbed a knife in self-defence as he was scared. As he turned, his step-father was upon him and became impaled on the knife in the chest close to his neck causing life threatening injuries when the thyrocervical vein was cut and other injuries caused. In the ensuing struggle the boy claimed he had accidentally stabbed or cut his step-father a further six times causing wounds on his arms, his head and his back resulting also in a fractured jaw and fractured shoulder blade.

At trial the defendant's mother who had been called by the prosecution as an eye witness was treated as a hostile witness and questioned about accounts she had given in an ABE interview (which she had refused to allow to be played) and to two police officers on separate occasions. Evidence was also received from a forensic pathologist about the possible causes of the injuries.

Jonathan was instructed by Criminal Defence Solicitors.