David Butcher

David Butcher is a Paralegal and Accredited Police Station Representative working in our criminal defence team based at our Northampton office. His daily tasks are based around giving support to our two solicitors based at Northampton and David works on the preparation of cases for both first appearances and trials at the Magistrates Court. This involves meeting clients to take their full instructions, to prepare cases by viewing the evidence supplied by the Crown, by meeting defence witnesses and taking statements from them, and by following up any leads that might benefit the client’s case.   David liaises as necessary with clients, witnesses, experts, the Police, the Crown and the Court. His goal is to leave no stone unturned in offering our clients the best defence case possible.

David Butcher also attends police stations regularly to represent both our own clients and those who come to us when we are duty solicitors at the police station concerned. He takes disclosure from the Police before giving the client best advice in a private consultation as to how to handle the interview. He then liaises with the Police and the client after the interview regarding the outcome, any bail requirements and conditions, and gives advice and assistance if the client is charged and has to go to court.

David has always been good with people and throughout his career has always had roles requiring excellent communication skills inside and outside the organisation for whom he has been working. He is meticulous with his case preparation and endeavours to establish an excellent rapport with clients at what is a stressful time for them. His calm and reassuring manner has been commented on many times by those clients who find themselves in custody at the police station for the first time ever, or who have to attend a voluntary interview. He takes pride in going the extra mile to offer support and to ensure that clients receive the best possible advice and representation.

Professional Qualifications

David is an accredited police station representative. He has a BSc (Hons) degree from the University Of Manchester. David is a Fellow of the Institute Of Financial Services and has a Certificate in International Risk Management qualification from the Institute Of Risk Management.

Notable Cases

As a police station representative, David attended a lengthy interview of a boy in his early teens who had hatched a plan to murder a number of his fellow pupils at school, having been influenced by such events around the world. This was a difficult case that came completely out of the blue one Sunday evening and attracted considerable local media interest.  Follow up interviews were required which David also attended.

David was involved as a police station representative and then paralegal in the case of a stepfather who was accused of raping his teenage stepdaughter. David was convinced from the word go of the client’s innocence but he was charged and appeared at the Crown Court. Crucial to his defence were social services records which would show that the complainant had made similar false reports in the past. David had to battle, and eventually obtain a court order requiring these records to be made available to the defence, and in due course the client – after months of stress and worry – was found not guilty by a jury who took less than thirty minutes to reach that decision.

David dealt with a male client who was originally charged with attempted murder by allegedly reversing his vehicle into his partner. Again, there were in David’s mind, serious doubts as to the account that was being put forward by the complainant and in a case which dragged on for over two years because of COVID, David repeatedly communicated with the client and his family, along with arranging road traffic experts, making trips to the scene of the incident, and interviewing defence witnesses. Again, when the case finally reached the Crown Court, it took the jury less than an hour to reach a unanimous not guilty verdict.

Finally, a local pub landlord was accused by a former partner of historic and prolonged controlling and coercive behaviour, assaults and abuse. David was convinced that the client was telling the truth when he denied all these allegations and David spent much time gathering evidence from pub customers, family members and others who knew the accused and was able to paint a very different picture of this man to the picture being painted by the complainant and the Crown. The case went to the Crown Court where a not guilty verdict was delivered on all charges against him.