Christian Harbinson

Christian is a member of the professional misconduct and criminal law team, based in Thompsons Solicitors’ Newcastle office, which covers the North East and Cumbria.

Having qualified in 2006, Christian covers three main areas of work. The first is criminal law, which includes providing advice and representation to clients in the police station, the Magistrates Court and the Crown Court, as well as advice in the event of an appeal to the Court of Appeal. Most of the criminal cases he deals with involve allegations of sexual offences, fraud, theft, misconduct in public office, and allegations of physical assault by a professional. 

The second area of work is inquest law, which involves providing advice to prison officers at coroners’ inquests following a death in custody. 

Finally, he deals with cases involving actions against the police. Such cases typically involve challenges in relation to unlawful arrest or decisions on disclosure of information to employers following an investigation.   

Christian’s main aim is to dedicate himself to presenting the best case for his client – either by preparing a detailed defence for trial or presenting mitigating circumstances and obtaining the best possible outcome for a client who accepts any criminal charge. He says that the most rewarding aspect of his job is obtaining a successful outcome.

He particularly enjoys working for Thompsons because of the niche work that they do and the responsibility of seeking to protect a client’s liberty and livelihood. Christian considers that Thompsons' lawyers have more time to devote to their cases than many typical high street firms, which allows them to provide more detailed representation and to take a different legal approach, where appropriate.   

When not in work, Christian enjoys spending time with his family and watching sport. He is a keen Middlesbrough fan. 

Christian's case experience

• Represented a client previously convicted of serious sexual offences in Operation Reno, ensuring his acquittal in relation to nine of the 16 complainants in the case, with the jury convicting him on only three of the most serious charges. 
• Involved in Operation Seabrook, the largest police interstation into historic abuse allegations, with approximately 1,400 complainants. 
• Represents prison officers accused of sexual and physical abuse in Operation Magnolia. 
• Secured a 30 minute acquittal of a client who was suspended from work, and later charged, following an allegation of rape. 
• Secured the acquittal of a nursery worker who was dismissed after being accused of biting a child after casting doubt on the sequence of events and demonstrating that there was no evidence of the child being upset while in nursery. 
• Secured the discontinuation of the trial of a schoolteacher who was alleged  to have assaulted a pupil with special needs. 
• Secured an acquittal for a teaching assistant who was accused of grabbing the hand of a pupil and wiping the pupil’s hand in spit. Disclosure was obtained from the pupil’s previous record of incidents which highlighted the need for staff to take hold of her hands on occasions due to hitting. 
• Ensured the acquittal of a bus driver accused of assaulting the complainant and witnessed by an independent witness. CCTV was obtained which was used to prove a number of lies made by the complainant and to force the witness to agree that what he had thought he had seen was heavily limited and out of context. 
• Represented a teaching assistant accused of slapping a child. The case hinged on the cross-examination of the individual who alleged that she had witnessed the assault. Christian was able to undermine her account and to demonstrate to the court that her account could not be substantiated and the client was acquitted. 

Testimonials