From qualification to the Court of Appeal

Case study from a Crown Advocate in South East

“After qualifying in September 2024, I had an amazing opportunity to present a hearing at the Court of Appeal in July 2025. The hearing related to a case I’d prosecuted within a sentencing block.

“The defendant had been charged with distributing and making indecent images of a child. Given the high risk of future offending, I had applied for a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) containing a prohibition on the use of WhatsApp and a non-contact prohibition. Both terms were appealed.

“I was a brand new Crown Advocate and I know people practising for 10 years who have never gone to the Court of Appeal – so I was pretty daunted! Wendy Cottee, a Level 3 Crown Advocate, took me under her wing and gave me invaluable advice.

“I did a huge amount of research to prepare for the hearing and identified several instances where the defendant had discussed offending against children. I also secured a statement from an expert in the monitoring software that’s installed on an offender’s devices after sentencing.

“The judges completely upheld the non-contact prohibition. They lifted the WhatsApp prohibition from a total ban to severe restrictions, making it clear that a total prohibition might be appropriate in future cases where the Crown can show a more direct link between the offending and use of WhatsApp.

“The judgement will help shape how SHPOs are applied in future cases involving online offending. By clarifying when platform- specific restrictions are appropriate, it gives prosecutors stronger tools to protect children.

“This was an incredible experience to have so early in my career.”