Victoria qualified as a solicitor in criminal defence practice in 2009 and soon realised that her particular interest and skill lay in complex and serious criminal cases. When she called to the bar in 2013 she built a practice in both first instance and appellate criminal practice and has since been instructed in many complex cases. She has considerable experience in sexual offences, however, has been involved in lengthy and difficult murder trials, fraud trials, cases involving serious and organised crime and fatal accident inquiries. She continues to practice across the spectrum of criminal offences both at first instance and appellate level.
Whilst Victoria’s practice has predominantly focused on defence work, she has also spent time as a full time Advocate Depute in Crown Office which only served to enhance her criminal court advocacy giving her a more rounded experience. She continues to be instructed by the Crown as an Ad Hoc Advocate Depute. Throughout her time with Crown Office she conducted many complex cases, including murder, attempted murder, serious and organised crime and sensitive and evidentially difficult sexual offences.
HMA v Edward Cairney and Avril Jones – In this case the accused were indicted in respect of charges of murder and benefit fraud. There was no body recovered in this case and the Crown case proceeded on the basis of negative evidence of life. The named deceased was a vulnerable young
woman who had been in the care of the accused but not seen since 1999. A change in the benefits system acted as the catalyst for the investigation into the welfare of the deceased and the obtaining of benefits in her name by the accused.
IG v HMA [2018] HCJAC 63 – sentence appeal which involved a child appellant. The child had tendered a plea of guilty to taking a knife to school and assaulting a fellow pupil with it to his permanent impairment and permanent disfigurement. A custodial sentence had been imposed but that sentence was overturned on appeal and a community based disposal was imposed the Court having taken into account the age of the appellant, his personal circumstances and the particular circumstances surrounding the commission of the offence.
HMA v Andrew Miller – The accused was charged with the abduction and sexual assault of a child. This case had captured media attention because the child had been missing for a number of days.
HMA v John Grant – The accused was charged with a series of rapes and sexual assaults against former partners. The nature of the sexual relationships between the accused and complainers were of a BDSM nature and the case raised complex issues relating to section 274 and 275 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995.