Sasha Wass

Last updated

Sasha Wass KC (born 19 February 1958) is a British judge, prosecutor and defender.

Her father, Sir Douglas Wass, was a senior civil servant. [1] She obtained a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Liverpool and has been practising criminal law at the Bar for over four decades, having been called in 1981 and taking silk in 2000. She was appointed Recorder of the Crown Court in 1997, and a Recorder of the Central Criminal Court in 2008. She is part of the Chambers of Simon Denison KC 6KBW. [2] [3] [4]

Wass has more recently participated in BBCs Murder, Mystery and My Family , reviewing historical verdicts in criminal trials from a prosecutor's perspective, testing the evidence against today's conviction standards and submitting findings to a retired Judge. [5] Whilst the trial reviews cannot reverse past verdicts, they can help families to come to terms with the potential miscarriages of justice many decades ago.

As a senior criminal barrister and formerly a QC she had helped to prosecute high profile cases, ranging from killer Rosemary West through to and including Rolf Harris [6] and she successfully advised the disgraced financier Roger Levitt on his plea bargain deal with the SFO; she was credited with saving Levitt from serving jail time by him agreeing to community service orders. [3] [7]

Wass successfully fought and won a full apology arising from her 2018 libel action against the Mail on Sunday for an article by David Rose containing profoundly false accusations that they had published about her in 2016. [8] [9]

In 2020, Wass successfully defended her corporate client, News Group Newspapers, publishers of the U.K. Sun, against a libel action brought by U.S. actor Johnny Depp. Depp gave five days of testimony in London's High Court and was cross-examined by Wass, who sought to persuade the Court that Depp had abused his ex-wife Amber Heard, during their relationship. The Sun as publisher, had claimed Depp was a "wife-beater" in the article by then Executive Editor, Dan Wootton. [10] [11]

In 2024, Wass lost her case for Tommy Robinson, aka Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, Britain's richest far right extremist, for contempt of court.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Depp</span> American actor (born 1963)

John Christopher Depp II is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for three Academy Awards and two BAFTA awards. His films, in which he has often played eccentric characters, have grossed over $8 billion worldwide, making him one of Hollywood's most bankable stars.

Jury nullification, also known in the United Kingdom as jury equity, or a perverse verdict, is when the jury in a criminal trial gives a verdict of not guilty even though they think a defendant has broken the law. The jury's reasons may include the belief that the law itself is unjust, that the prosecutor has misapplied the law in the defendant's case, that the punishment for breaking the law is too harsh, or general frustrations with the criminal justice system. Some juries have also refused to convict due to their own prejudices in favor of the defendant. Such verdicts are possible because a jury has an absolute right to return any verdict it chooses. Nullification is not an official part of criminal procedure but is the logical consequence of two rules governing the systems in which it exists:

  1. Jurors cannot be punished for passing an incorrect verdict.
  2. In many jurisdictions, a defendant who is acquitted cannot be tried a second time for the same offense.
<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crown Prosecution Service</span> Principal public agency for conducting criminal prosecutions in England and Wales

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is the principal public agency for conducting criminal prosecutions in England and Wales. It is headed by the Director of Public Prosecutions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Special Court for Sierra Leone</span> Judicial body

The Special Court for Sierra Leone, or the "Special Court" (SCSL), also called the Sierra Leone Tribunal, was a judicial body set up by the government of Sierra Leone and the United Nations to "prosecute persons who bear the greatest responsibility for serious violations of international humanitarian law and Sierra Leonean law" committed in Sierra Leone after 30 November 1996 and during the Sierra Leone Civil War. The court's working language was English. The court listed offices in Freetown, The Hague, and New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amber Heard</span> American actress (born 1986)

Amber Laura Heard is an American actress. She had her first leading role in the horror film All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006), and went on to star in films such as The Ward (2010), Drive Angry (2011), and London Fields (2018). She has also had supporting roles in films including Pineapple Express (2008), Never Back Down (2008), The Joneses (2009), The Rum Diary (2011), Paranoia (2013), Machete Kills (2013), 3 Days to Kill (2014), Magic Mike XXL (2015), and The Danish Girl (2015). From 2017 to 2023, Heard played Mera in the DC Extended Universe, including the films Justice League (2017), Aquaman (2018), and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023). She has also acted in television series such as The CW's teen drama Hidden Palms (2007) and the Paramount+ fantasy series The Stand (2020–2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World's End Murders</span> Crime in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1977

The World's End Murders is the colloquial name given to the murder of two girls, Christine Eadie, 17, and Helen Scott, 17, in Edinburgh, in October 1977. The case is so named because both victims were last seen alive leaving The World's End pub in Edinburgh's Old Town. The only person to stand trial accused of the murders, Angus Robertson Sinclair, was acquitted in 2007 in controversial circumstances. Following the amendment of the law of double jeopardy, which would have prevented his retrial, Sinclair was retried in October 2014 and convicted of both murders on 14 November 2014. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 37 years, the longest sentence by a Scottish court, meaning he would have been 106 years old when he was eligible for a potential release on parole. He died at HM Prison Glenochil aged 73 on 11 March 2019. Coincidentally, he died on the same day the BBC's Crimewatch Roadshow programme profiled the murders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Wootton</span> New Zealand and British journalist and broadcaster

Daniel John William Wootton is a New Zealand and British journalist and broadcaster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorothy Bain</span> Lord Advocate

Dorothy Ruth Bain is a Scottish advocate who has served as Lord Advocate since 2021. She is the second woman to hold the office after Lady Elish Angiolini KC. Bain previously served as the Principal Advocate Depute from 2009 to 2011, the first woman to hold the prosecutorial position in Scotland.

Clare Montgomery KC is a barrister at Matrix Chambers, recorder of the Crown Court and deputy High Court judge. She sits on the Court of Appeal of Jersey.

<i>R v Huhne</i> British court case

Regina v Christopher Huhne and Vasiliki Pryce is the prosecution of the former British Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Chris Huhne MP, and his former wife, Vicky Pryce, the former Head of the Government Economic Service, for perverting the course of justice, contrary to common law. Huhne became the first Cabinet minister in British history to resign as a consequence of criminal proceedings. On 4 February 2013, Huhne was convicted after changing their plea to guilty. The trial of Pryce began on the following day, lasting until 20 February 2013 when the jury were discharged by the judge. A re-trial began on 25 February 2013 and led to the conviction of Pryce on 7 March 2013.

David Rose is a British author and investigative journalist. He is a contributing editor with Vanity Fair and a special investigations writer for The Mail on Sunday. His interests include human rights, miscarriages of justice, the death penalty, racism, the war on terror, politics, and climate change denial. He is the author of six non-fiction books and a novel, Taking Morgan, a thriller set in Washington, Oxford, Tel Aviv and Gaza, published by Quartet in 2014. He was named News Reporter of the Year in the Society of Editors British Press Awards for 2015.

Sir Andrew George Lindsay Nicol is a retired judge of the High Court of England and Wales.

Jeremy Sydney Dein, KC is an English barrister specialising in criminal defence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">QEB Hollis Whiteman (chambers)</span> Barristers Chambers based in London

QEB Hollis Whiteman is a leading set of barristers' chambers specialising in criminal, financial, and regulatory law, located in the City of London. Established in the 1980s, it employs 70 barristers, including 21 King's Counsel, four Treasury Counsel and one Standing Counsel to the RCPO. The current Heads of Chambers are Selva Ramasamy KC and Adrian Darbishire KC and the Chief Clerk is Chris Emmings.

Oliver Edwin James Glasgow KC is a barrister who specialises in criminal law. Since November 2015 he served as one of the Senior Treasury Counsel at the Old Bailey, prosecuting serious criminal cases. On 1 January 2021 he was appointed First Senior Treasury Counsel by the Attorney General, Suella Braverman KC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joanna Korner</span> British judge (born 1951)

Joanna Korner is a British judge of the International Criminal Court.

<i>Depp v News Group Newspapers Ltd</i> 2020 libel trial in London, England

Depp v News Group Newspapers Ltd[2020] EWHC 2911 (QB) was a defamation lawsuit brought in England. The case was initiated by American actor Johnny Depp, who sued News Group Newspapers (NGN) and then-executive editor Dan Wootton for libel after The Sun ran an article that claimed Depp had abused his ex-wife and criticised his casting in the Fantastic Beasts film series. The article stated, "Overwhelming evidence was filed to show Johnny Depp engaged in domestic violence against his wife Amber Heard," who "recounted a detailed history of domestic abuse incidents, some of which had led to her fearing for her life." After a three-week trial in London in July 2020, Andrew Nicol, a High Court judge sitting without a jury, rejected Depp's claim in a verdict announced later that year, ruling that the published material was "substantially true".

Kirsty Brimelow is a barrister of England and Wales and KC practising from Doughty Street Chambers. She practises in the national and international courts and tribunals in international human rights, criminal law and public law. She is a Bencher of Gray's Inn and elected member of its management committee. She was International Pro Bono Barrister of the Year in 2018 and was Chair of the Bar Human Rights Committee (2012–2018). She obtained an LLB Hons from Birmingham University and then studied at the Inns of Court School of Law to be called to the Bar in 1991. She was a pupil at Littleton Chambers in 1993. She was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2011. In 2021 she was appointed trustee of WWF UK. In 2021, she was elected Vice-Chair of the Criminal Bar Association of England and Wales. She was Chair of the Criminal Bar Association from 1 September 2022- 1 September 2023.

Kerri Judd is an Australian lawyer who has been Director of Public Prosecutions for the state of Victoria since 2018. She is the first woman to be appointed to the role. Since 17th September 2024 she has been appointed as a judge in the Victorian Supreme Court.

John C. Depp, II v. Amber Laura Heard was a trial held in Fairfax County, Virginia, from April 11 to June 1, 2022, that ruled on allegations of defamation between formerly married American actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. Depp, as plaintiff, filed a complaint of defamation against defendant Heard claiming $50 million in damages; Heard filed counterclaims against Depp claiming $100 million in damages.

References

  1. ↑ "Sir Douglas Wass obituary | Civil service". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  2. ↑ "Sasha Wass KC".
  3. 1 2 "Sasha Wass > Chambers of Simon Denison QC > London > England | Lawyer Profile". www.legal500.com. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  4. ↑ "PDF Sasha Wass".
  5. ↑ "BBC One - Murder, Mystery and My Family - Episode guide". BBC. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  6. ↑ "Rolf Harris prosecutor Sasha Wass Queen's Counsel has history of working on high-profile cases". NewsComAu. 1 July 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  7. ↑ "How the Levitt deal was hammered out". The Independent. 22 October 2011. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  8. ↑ Cross2018-06-13T08:35:00+01:00, Michael. "QC wins apology and damages for 'buried evidence' libel". Law Gazette. Retrieved 13 July 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ↑ "Sasha Wass QC – top criminal QC secures full Court apology from Mail on Sunday". Carter-Ruck. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  10. ↑ "Factbox: Johnny Depp's libel case - The evidence so far". Reuters. 19 July 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  11. ↑ "Depp loses libel case over Sun 'wife beater' claim". BBC News. 2 November 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2022.

[1]

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.