Katie Doherty, instructed by IBB Law, recently secured a double acquittal of a vulnerable 17-year-old for 2 charges of possession with intent to supply class A drugs, after successfully raising a defence under s.45(4) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

The National Referral Mechanism provided supporting evidence that the defendant's domestic circumstances and particular vulnerabilities had been exploited, and that he had been groomed by an older person who compelled him to commit the offences.

Katie relied on the recent authority of DPP v M [2020] EWHC 3422 (Admin) and successfully argued that the conclusive grounds decision in the NRM process was admissible and capable of discharging the evidential burden on the defendant. The defendant was acquitted of both charges after trial.