Terrorism investigations involve extended detention, specialist police units and complex statutory powers. Specialist advice is needed from the moment of arrest.
Detention can last up to 14 days, and cases are heard at the Central Criminal Court and Woolwich Crown Court, often on a large body of digital and intelligence material.
LP Evans has defended in some of the most significant terrorism cases in this country, including the Heathrow liquid bomb plot, and acts for people who are arrested, stopped at a port, subject to asset freezing or facing extradition.
What we handle
- Offences under the Terrorism Acts 2000 and 2006
- Possession or collection of material and downloading allegations
- Preparation of terrorist acts
- Receiving terrorist training
- Funding a proscribed organisation
- Hoax bomb threats
- Stops at ports and airports under Schedule 7
- Asset freezing, extradition, appeals and CCRC applications
If you are under investigation or have been arrested
What to do first
- Ask for a solicitor straight away, and say nothing of substance until you have one.
- Do not answer questions about beliefs, devices or contacts without advice.
- If you are stopped at a port or airport you must answer questions, but call us as soon as it ends.
- If a family member is detained, call us at once. Detention can last up to 14 days.
Call 07501 792925, 24 hours a day.
How a case runs, and where we come in
- 1Arrest
Detention can run up to 14 days with judicial approval. We attend from the start.
- 2Interviews
Long, repeated and conducted by specialist officers. We prepare you and attend each one.
- 3Charge
Cases are normally heard at the Central Criminal Court or Woolwich Crown Court.
- 4Trial
We scrutinise the intelligence, the digital evidence and the law.
- 5Appeal
We advise on appeals and on applications to the CCRC.
Why LP Evans
The Heathrow liquid bomb plot
Yaqub Hussain made his name defending in this case, in which his client was acquitted.
A long record
Our solicitors have defended terrorism cases since the early 2000s, including appeals and applications to the CCRC.
Specialist and available
Specialist solicitors are available 24 hours a day for arrests and stops.
Selected results
- R v R (Court of Appeal)Possession of explosives. The defendant had a previous terrorism conviction; the case was successfully dismissed by the judge on abuse of process grounds. The Crown appealed and the Court of Appeal upheld the dismissal.
- R v M and Others (2006)Arrest of Bradford students under ss.57 and 58 Terrorism Act 2000 relating to downloading ‘extremist’ literature. Conviction subsequently quashed by the Court of Appeal.
- R v A (2006)Directly connected to the transatlantic liquid bomb plot; s.38 Terrorism Act 2000. Acquittal secured.
Taken from matters the firm has published. Every case turns on its own facts and past results are not a guarantee of any particular outcome.
Questions people ask
How long can I be held?
Up to 14 days, with the extension approved by a judge.
Can the police delay my access to a solicitor?
In limited circumstances they can ask to. A specialist solicitor knows how to challenge it.
Must I answer questions at a port or airport?
Under Schedule 7 there is a duty to cooperate. That is different from an interview under caution.
Can downloading material be an offence?
Collecting or possessing material useful to a terrorist can be, depending on the facts. Some convictions of this kind have been quashed on appeal.