Katherine White

Katherine is a Grade 2 Prosecutor and has experience in prosecuting and defending cases in the Crown Court at this level and beyond.

She is currently instructed in a number of multi-week trials, both as sole counsel and in cases being led by more senior counsel, some of which involve substantial amounts of telephone and expert evidence.

Through this work and other instruction Katherine hopes to undertake more complex and challenging criminal work, as a junior alone and as a led junior.

Cases of Note:

Led Junior

R v ASJ: Led by Richard Thyne KC. Instructed by the CPS Yorkshire and Humberside Complex Case Unit. Prosecuted a 19-year-old man who was convicted of stabbing two men to death and sentenced to life in prison. Following a reference by the Attorney General (reported at [2022] EWCA Crim 1811) the Court of Appeal held that, notwithstanding that the appropriate starting point was increased to 30 years because two people had been murdered, the taking of a knife to the scene amounted to a further significant aggravating feature which justified an additional increase in the starting point. The case was covered on the BBC, the Star and the Doncaster Free Press.

R v MB: Led by Richard Thyne KC. Prosecuted a former prison officer who assaulted the victim outside a public house, inflicting injuries which led to the victim’s death in hospital nine days later. Following advice of Counsel and consultation with the victim’s family, a plea to manslaughter was accepted on day three of trial. The case was covered on the BBC and Hull Live.

R v CB: Led by Richard Thyne KC. Successfully opposed a Prosecution application for leave to proceed with counts left on the file.

Operation Novel: Led by Tim Savage. Represented the second Defendant in a six-week multi-handed CPS Serious Economic and Organised Crime division prosecution for fraudulent evasion of duty and VAT amounting to over £400,000 where the Prosecution data-heavy evidence ran to over 12,000 pages and there were over 3000 items of unused material. This case was covered on the BBC.

Junior Alone

R v ZT, DD and TM: Prosecuted a multi-handed robbery trial which involved careful analysis of CCTV footage and other evidence in the case to persuade the jury that the Defendants were the individuals shown on the footage due to the complainant’s inability to identify the suspects. Jury convicted all three Defendant’s in less than 30 minutes. Respective sentences of six years, seven years, and seven years imposed. Subsequently appeared in the Court of Appeal following leave being granted by the Single Judge in respect of DD appealing his conviction. Conviction upheld following appeal. Reported by numerous news agencies including the BBC and Express.

R v PR: Defended an individual charged with causing s.18 grievous bodily harm with intent to a complainant who was known to him. The Defendant asserted an alibi and was acquitted following a four-day trial.

R v GS and AD: Prosecuted two individuals for causing grievous bodily harm without intent. Secured a conviction in relation to GS and following further review, the case was stopped against AD.

R v KL, ND, YN, and PR: Secured convictions against four Defendants who had travelled from the South of England, in two vehicles, in the early hours of the morning, with a number of machetes and axes. ND, YN and PR pleaded guilty. KL convicted after trial.

R v JM: Victimless prosecution of prolonged domestic violence. Following the drafting of lengthy submissions regarding the admissibility of evidence, the Defendant pleaded guilty on the day of trial to offences arising within the relationship. Reported in The Sheffield Star.

R v ZA: Defended an individual who, as a youth, became involved in a County Lines drug operation. Following a positive conclusive grounds decision for child exploitation, and a full review of social care and other documentation disclosed, Katherine persuaded the Prosecution to discontinue proceedings against ZA.

R v JP: Defended an individual charged with fraud whilst acting as a carer for an elderly couple. After identifying a number of inadequacies in the Prosecution’s case during trial, the jury were discharged for the Prosecution to conduct further enquiries. Following a full review, the Prosecution offered no evidence.

R v RC: Defended an individual charged with causing actual bodily harm who asserted he acted in self defence due to being assaulted by a stranger through his car window. Jury returned a not guilty verdict.

R v TE: Secured a suspended sentence order for an individual following a guilty plea to an offence of blackmail. Reported in the Derby Telegraph.

R v DD: Secured a community order for an individual charged with being in possession of a bladed article in circumstances where there was a risk of serious disorder.

R v HB: Theft from an employer initially valued at over £130,000; basis of plea for theft to the value of £90,000 was proffered. Conference with reviewing lawyer; further advice on evidence and acceptability of basis of plea provided and followed. Reported in the Examiner Live.

R v JD: Prosecuted a dangerous driving sentence which was described by the Sentencing Judge as one of the worst cases of dangerous driving he had seen. Reported in the Star.

R v PB: Prosecuted the son of the deputy mayor of Grimsby for a number of offences committed against his father. Reported in the Grimsby Telegraph.

R v NB: Prosecuted burglar for a number of burglaries where he targeted elderly residents. Reported in the Daily Star. 

R v JE: Committal for sentence for possession with intent to supply approximately £23,000 worth of Class A and Class B drugs that were being stored in a shipping container where consideration for Proceeds of Crime Act proceedings were given. Reported in the Hull Daily Mail.

R v ZA and JB: Sentencing two teenagers, one with learning difficulties, for dangerous driving following an incident of racing which resulted in significant damage to a number of vehicles.

R v A Youth and A Youth (Youth Court): Instructed by the Crown Prosecution Service for the Youth Court trial of two individuals charged with inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent (s.18) in a joint enterprise attack with adults. Guilty pleas entered on the day of trial following a number of issues being resolved in an advice to the Prosecution. Following these guilty pleas, the outstanding adult listed for trial at the Crown Court entered a late guilty plea.

R v DR (Magistrates court): Successfully prosecuted a trial of exposure involving masturbation where the Defendant asserted he was urinating in an area known for public sexual intercourse. When cross-examined, the Defendant conceded he had previously had sexual intercourse in this spot despite asserting that he was in a happy relationship.

Appeals from Magistrates’ Court

R v NC: Represented the Appellant as he appealed the decision of the lower court not to find exceptional hardship. Having heard evidence from the Appellant and his business partner, the Crown Court found exceptional hardship and the Appellant was able to avoid disqualification.

Chief Constable of Lincolnshire Police v CB: Represented the Appellant in his appeal to the Crown Court against the imposition of a sexual risk order.

• Master in Law Exempting (BPTC), Northumbria University (2018) – First Class Honours
• Very Competent BPTC

• Member of the Honourable Society of Inner Temple (Call 2018)