Mairi Clancy - Trinity Chambers

EXPERTISE

Mairi practices in both criminal law and family law.

She has appeared in the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) and the Family Division of the High Court.

Before becoming a barrister, Mairi worked at a leading law firm as a paralegal for 5 years.

CRIME

Mairi regularly appears in the Crown Court across the region as both prosecution and defence counsel.

R v B: conviction for wounding with intent as a result of a multiple stab wound attack. Case involved forensic evidence. Offender found by the Court to be dangerous resulting in an extended sentence being passed. Press.
R v W: conviction for two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and common assault involving the use of weapons including a knife. Press.
R v R: offender found guilty of attempting to engage a child in sexual communications, having unwittingly sent messages to an undercover police decoy. Case involved Public Interest Immunity issues and witness anonymity. Press.
R v U: Mairi successfully opposed an application for a restraining order on acquittal following the defendant’s acquittal for serious sexual offences.
R v B: Mairi represented a client charged with dangerous driving and successfully mitigated so that a community order sentence was passed as opposed to a custodial sentence as indicated by the Sentencing Council guidelines.

Mairi also successfully prosecuted the following cases in the Magistrates’ Court.

R v L & M: conviction of two defendants for homophobically motivated harassment. A hate crime uplift was applied to the sentence.
R v C: successful prosecution of a convicted murderer for a serious assault on two prison officers.

Criminal Appeals

Mairi has appeared in the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) in an appeal against 6-month custodial sentenced passed for taking photographs in Court. Press - BBC & ITV.
Oliver v R: successfully appealed a conviction for assault in the Crown Court.
J v R: successfully appealed a Football Banning Order imposed following an incident at the Newcastle FC v Chelsea FC match in 2022.

PUBLIC FAMILY LAW

Mairi has broad experience in child protection cases. She regularly represents local authorities, parents and children in cases involving issues of neglect, child abuse, and domestic abuse.

Re GBP (a child): represented a parent in a case involving non-accidental injury to a baby. Following a contested hearing where Mairi cross-examined multiple local authority witnesses, the child was successfully returned to parents' care under the ‘Resolution model’.
A local authority v I & M: represented children’s services in a contested adoption application in respect of a baby who had been exposed to drug abuse, parental domestic abuse and serious criminal behaviour in the home.

PRIVATE FAMILY LAW

Mairi is regularly instructed by parents in private disputes about children’s residence and contact, non-molestation orders, prohibited steps and specific issue orders.

Re E & A (domestic abuse): represented a mother in a 5-day fact-finding hearing. Mairi’s client made 20 allegations of assault, coercive and controlling behaviour, parental alienation and child abuse which were all found to be true by the Court. The case involved complicated cultural issues.
H v A (international relocation): persuaded the court to allow a parent to relocate to Canada with their three children having suffered significant domestic abuse and the hands of the father. Press.
Mairi was then led by Kate Fenwick in the Family Division of the High Court where they successfully defended an appeal against the order of the lower Court. Press.
Re T and C: Mairi represented a mother in a domestic abuse proceedings and secured findings of rape, assault and coercive & controlling behaviour. The Judgment said “In my judgment this behaviour is just the sort of behaviour that was envisaged when Practice Direction 12J was drafted. It is precisely the sort of assault, threat, humiliation, intimidation and violence designed to make the Mother subordinate and frightened as was envisaged by 12J”.

EDUCATION

Northumbria University Bar Training Course (Distinction)
Northumbria University Graduate Diploma in Law (Distinction)
Newcastle University Masters in Professional Translation (Merit)
Newcastle University Government & European Union Studies with Spanish (2:1)
Ascentis Level 3 Certificate in Community Interpreting

AWARDS

The Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn Prince of Wales Scholarship
The Northumbria University Bar Training Course Scholarship

MEMBERSHIPS

The Criminal Bar Association
The Family Law Bar Association
The Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn

APPOINTMENTS

CPS Prosecutor, Level 2

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Mairi speaks Spanish fluently.

Mairi has completed 6 marathons including New York and Boston. She is an animal lover and has two cocker spaniels and a cat. Mairi is a supporter of Heart of Midlothian FC.