R v Mafune

Facts

The appellant, Kamrans Solicitors, acted for Lawrence Mafune in the Crown Court at Leeds under a Representation Order made on 24 January 2025. The Crown's case was that the defendant, together with one co-defendant, had been involved in the supply of Class A and Class B drugs, with what appeared to be a further charge of taking a vehicle without consent. He had been observed by police driving the co-defendant to an address where a large quantity of cannabis was found, and two phones — an iPhone and a Samsung — were seized, the Crown relying on messaging extracts showing dealing in cocaine. Comprehensive download reports for both phones were served in spreadsheet format only, as exhibits HC-220125-01 and JAH-220125. The defendant admitted supplying Class B drugs but denied doing so with his co-defendant and denied supplying cocaine, saying analysis of the messages would bear that out; he later admitted supplying cocaine over a shorter period than the Crown alleged. The non-electronic page count was 871, and with the electronic material the total exceeded the 10,000-page cap, so the graduated fee was calculated on 10,000 pages. The appellant claimed a special preparation fee of 342 hours and 36 minutes for reviewing the excess. The Determining Officer allowed 60 hours, and the appellant appealed under Regulation 29 of the Criminal Legal Aid (Remuneration) Regulations 2013.