22 May 2023
CONTACT US
Drystone Chambers
35 Bedford Row
London
WC1R 4JH
DX: 332 London/Chancery Lane
CONTACT US
Drystone Chambers
35 Bedford Row
London
WC1R 4JH
DX: 332 London/Chancery Lane
Call 2011
Helen Easterbrook
Call 2011
A thoughtful but fierce advocate, Helen combines efficient and accurate case management with an ability to put clients and witnesses at ease by making them feel that their case is her sole focus. Relied upon by the prosecution and defence alike, she is routinely instructed in cases involving serious violence, substantial frauds and sensitive sexual assaults including rape.
Her highly technical background means she is able to handle cases involving mobile phone evidence, crypto currencies, and other cyber-related elements with ease. Known for her ability to quickly identify and analyse a case, her pragmatic but highly tactical advice reflects the thorough nature of her case preparation, often identifying points overlooked by others.
When Covid 19 hit, and the Crown Courts largely closed their doors, Helen immediately joined in the fight against the pandemic by stepping back into her role as a Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Naval Reserve. After almost a year of helping to ensure hospitals, vaccination centres and fuel lorries were fully crewed she came back to the Bar in Jan 2021 hitting the ground running with some of her most significant cases to date and being appointed to the CPS Grade 3 Advocates Panel.
Building on almost a decade of teaching courtroom skills as part of the College of Policing cell-site course she has continued to keep her technical skills up to date by qualifying as a CISCO CyberOps Associate. Similarly, with the pandemic forecast to cause a wave of mental health problems she qualified as a Mental Health First Aider to better support clients, witnesses and fellow advocates alike.
A calm presence in conference and in court, Helen is able to focus jurors and defendants alike onto the facts that matter and away from the myths and assumptions they expect. Her sensitive but robust approach to case preparation and presentation allows her to effectively challenge witnesses while ensuring clients understand every step of the process.
R v JH
(Ongoing) Led Junior defending in multiple personality rape case.
R v OB
(Ongoing) Defence of a youth charged with circa 50 oral and vaginal rapes of his niece.
R v RK (2024)
Defence of a youth charged with grooming younger children via Discord for which a referral order was eventually imposed. This case involved a complex web of email addresses, login details and IP addresses.
R v BH (2023)
Successful defence at Court Martial of a soldier charged with rape.
R v LF (2023)
Defence of rape, D suffers from autism and had an intermediary throughout trial.
R v DF (2023)
Defence in a s.28 (pre-recorded cross-examination) case alleging the sexual assault of two young teenagers by an adult male.
R v T (2023)
Successful defence of an 11 year old charged with the triple rape of his very young sister. Acquitted of all three counts, 1 in the youth court, 2 on appeal.
R v M (2022)
Successfully defended client charged with rape of his ex-partner against a complex background of domestic violence.
R v CL (2022)
Defending a client charged with multiple counts of violent rape and sexual assault including in the context of false imprisonment.
R v JN (2022)
Obtained a referral order for a sexual assault for a youth originally charged with the rape of a fellow student.
R v SC (2022)
Defendant accused of rape, sexual assault by penetration and a series of voyeurism/upskirting offences.
R v RW (2021)
Client acquitted of a double marital rape against a background of allegations of coercive and controlling behaviour.
Assuming nothing and checking everything, Helen’s forensic approach to case preparation works particularly well when dealing with the legal complexities of historical sexual offences. Known for her ability to robustly cross-examine complainants without alienating jurors, Helen is able to sensitively balance what are often emotionally charged courtroom exchanges.
R v KR (2021)
Client acquitted of a substantial portion of the charges faced, including the Crown being forced to withdraw an allegation of rape.
During her previous career Helen studied web design (client and server-side programming) at undergraduate level. Maintaining this interest while at the Bar, Helen qualified as a Cisco CyberOps Associate in 2021 and continues to build on her knowledge. She is currently studying a Cloud Security course run by Cisco in association with the Open University.
R v MA and Ors
(Ongoing) Led Junior prosecuting an EncroChat organised crime, drugs and firearms case.
R v RK (2024)
Defence of a youth charged with grooming younger children via Discord for which a referral order was eventually imposed. This case involved a complex web of email addresses, login details and IP addresses.
R v LK (2017 – led junior)
Instructed two weeks before the trial, Helen was requested because of her Understanding of the ‘dark web’. She was responsible for the cross-examination of the Prosecution expert on the use of BitCoin, Helix and Tails (The Amnesiac Incognito Live System).
Having taught as part of the College of Policing Radio Frequency Propagation Survey Technician (cell-site) course for almost 10 years Helen has a deep understanding of mobile phone evidence. A true digital native who continues to build on her knowledge through courses run by Cisco and others, Helen has an ability to explain complex and technical subjects to juries and clients alike in an easy and accessible manner.
R v MA and Ors
(Ongoing) Led Junior prosecuting an EncroChat organised crime, drugs and firearms case.
R v DI (2018 – led junior)
Successful defence of a Romanian prostitute charged with the trafficking of others. Prepared substantial legal argument regarding the admissibility of evidence intercepted abroad under a Joint Investigation Team agreement.
As a former member of the Great Britain Rifle Squad, a current firearms certificate holder and over 20 years’ experience serving in the military, Helen is familiar with a range of weapons and their component parts.
R v MA and Ors
(Ongoing) Led Junior prosecuting an EncroChat organised crime, drugs and firearms case.
R v JF (2023)
Successful prosecution of possession of a prohibited firearm discovered during the investigation into an unlinked murder case.
R v MA (2021)
Successful defence of a client charged with possession of a non-functioning stun-gun.
With over 20 years’ service as both a full time (regular) and part time (reserve) member of the Royal Navy, Helen has an extensive service knowledge to draw upon when advising clients. As an Under Water Warfare specialist, trained to deploy as part of the UK’s maritime Battle Staffs, she brings to her cases not only the understanding of what it is to make decisions under pressure, but a coolness of mind that allows her to command a courtroom.
R v BH (2023)
Successful defence at Court Martial of a soldier charged with rape.
R v RW (2021)
Client acquitted of a double marital rape against a background of allegations of coercive and controlling behaviour.
R v U (2019)
Defence of a logistics specialist charged with 16 counts of fraud via the Defence travel booking system.
R v P (2017)
Successful defence of an officer accused of sexual assault during training. The case was stayed as an abuse of process on day one of trial.
With a strong STEM rather than humanities background, Helen brings both the logical mind of a computer programmer and the experience of working with numbers to all fraud cases she is involved with. Her background in computing means she is easily able to analyse financial records presented in a range of formats, presenting the same to jurors in a manner that is easy to follow and understand.
R v BG (2024)
Defence of a woman charged with blackmailing a man who had attempted to buy pornographic images from her.
R v HB (2021)
Prosecution of a defendant charged with committing over £250,000 of fraud by abuse of a Power of Attorney.
R v SB (2021)
Defended an employee charged with defrauding their employer of over £100,000 over a number of years through the use of a sophisticated series of bank accounts set up in false identities.
R v GW (2023)
Led Junior defending a live in carer charged under the Modern Slavery 2015 in relation to his bed-bound client.
