John Benson KC and his junior, Mike Hollis, recently secured convictions for murder and s.18 wounding at Oxford Crown Court. The first defendant stabbed a man in the neck, who subsequently died. The second defendant stabbed another man in the ribs, causing his serious injury. The stabbings occurred when one group chased another and took place approximately 200m apart, but both men were convicted of both offences under the joint enterprise doctrine. Both men were sentenced to life imprisonment; the first defendant must serve at least 25 years before he can apply for parole and the second 22 and a half years.
