Introduction
Blondel Thompson grew up in a household of athletes, she is a former British Junior Record Holder and Senior British and Commonwealth Record Holder. Two of her brothers, Garry and Keith were professional footballers, whilst another brother, Glyn, represented the Marines in athletics, football, cricket, basketball and volleyball All of this combined has enabled Blondel to develop an expertise in Sports law.
As a former British and Common Wealth record holder in athletics, two brothers who made their living from professional football and a son who is a former World Indoor Champion at 400m has enabled Blondel to develop an expertise in Sports law.
She prosecutes and defends a variety of cases from Murder and Manslaughter to offences under the Theft Act. In a recent case, she defended one of four defendants facing an indictment containing 51 counts of historical rape, buggery, indecent assault.
Blondel also has experience in being briefed on criminal matters concerning the International Criminal Court. In September 2017, Blondel was instructed by the Prosecutors Office at the ICC to travel to Uganda to assist a witness prior to giving his evidence in the ongoing war crimes trial of Ongwen.
In 1998 she became a Panel Judge member for the Disciplinary Tribunals of UK Athletics. In 2010 Blondel was appointed as arbitrator for the Court of Arbitration for Sport, (based in Lausanne Switzerland). She is also a Panel member for the Inns of Court from which Disciplinary Tribunals of the Bar are drawn.
Blondel had an article published in the November 2022 edition of Counsel magazine titled “I never lose. I either win or I learn”.
Organised Crime and Terrorism
Blondel prosecutes and defends offences of drugs, violence, firearms, car ringing and money laundering.
Reported Cases:
- R v Addai-Bempah & Others – Importation of firearms from USA
- R v Pritchard – Car Ringing and Proceeds of Crime Act
- R v Mathurin – Armed robberies of commercial premises linked by mobile phone forensic evidence
- R v Rahmanzadaterani – Attempted Kidnapping
Serious Sexual Offences
An approved rape advocate, Blondel prosecutes and defends serious sexual offences. She has also developed a defence practice in this area. In one recent case she defended 1 of 4 defendants facing a 51 count Indictment of historical sexual abuse. The counts covered rape, buggery indecent assault concerning issues of propensity to commit sexual offences against children and bad character. This trial lasted 55 days R v Clarke.
Other recent cases in this area are R v Durose, R v Taylor and R v Key all 15 count indictment of Historical Sexual Abuse.
Reported Cases:
- R v Jevgenij Gavrilov – Rape/Sexual Assault
- R v Bradshaw – Rape, attempted rape and false imprisonment – acquitted
- R v Brady – Sexual abuse of step daughter
- R v Prota – Rape of ex girlfriend in her home
- R v Baran – Gang rape
- R v Potts – Interfamilial historical sexual abuse across 3 generations
- R v Witts – Historical sexual abuse alleged by two brothers against a third
- R v Moses – Historical sexual abuse alleged by niece against uncle
- R v Clarke – 51 count indictment of historical sexual abuse trial lasted 55 days
- R v Taylor – 15 count indictment of sexual offences
- R v Durose – 15 count indictment of historical sexual offences
- R v Key – 15 count indictment of historical Sexual Abuse
Restraint and Confiscation
Recent Cases:
- R v Benloss – Drugs and Proceeds of Crime Act
- R v Stefanco – Fraud and Proceeds of Crime Act
- R v Sharafat Kainth and Hill – Fraud and Proceeds of Crime Act
- R v Pritchard – Car Ringing and Proceeds of Crime Act
Homicide (Murder and Manslaughter)
Recent Cases:
- R v Tkia Campbell and another – Defendant was charged with assisting an offender charged with Murder. She was seen on cctv collecting the weapons used on the deceased, hid them in their outhouse, took the co-defendant a change of clothing, there were numerous calls/text messages between them.
- R v Frances Olner and others – Defendant was one of three charged with Murder/Robbery/Fraud. They entered the complainant’s home robbed and assaulted him then used his bank cards to withdraw his money
- R v Chelsea Smith – The defendant was charged with Attempted Murder. She stabbed her partner during an argument
- R v Campbell-Brown – Death by dangerous driving.
- R v Perry & Perry – Led by David Crigman QC or the Crown. Mother and son accused of murdering husband. Defence of Insanity raised.
- R v McDonald – Led by Christopher Millington QC for the Defence. The defendant faced and indictment of Murder and Attempted Murder. He left home armed with a machete entered two local shops and attacked the owners
- R v Montiero De Sena – Led by Melbourne Inman QC (now Judge Inman QC)
The deceased telephoned the defendant, threatened to whip him. He visited the defendants home and asked to speak to him; a fight ensued during which the deceased was stabbed.
- R v Lewis – Initially charged with Manslaughter the defendant faced an Indictment at trial of S18. The injured party refused to make a statement, but when he did months later he did not blame the defendant. His statement was served as Unused Material. The defence was forced to call the Injured Party and Defendant in the same trial.
- R v Azim Razaq and Hussain – Led by Stephen Linehan QC for the Crown. Three defendants were charged with Kidnap and Manslaughter. The deceased had been threatened at his home during the evening, kidnapped later that night and found in the canal the following day.
- R v Jamal Smith – Attempted Murder. Offence captured on CCTV, defendant seen to stab two complainants, causing life threatening injuries.
- R v Jacob Smith – Attempted Murder. Defendant shot the complainant at point blank range in the gardens of a public house.
- R v Damian Dinobewei – Murder. Defendant assaulted his estranged partner, pushed her into the car, traversed the city before pouring petrol over the car, setting it on fire and walking away.
- R v Tejeun Allen – Attempted murder. Complainant provoked the Defendant, whom stabbed him repeatedly, piercing his heart.
Appointments and Memberships
International Criminal Lawyer (The Hague, The Netherlands)
Member of The International Criminal Court Bar Association (ICCBA) The Hague, The Netherlands
1998-2002 Appointed as a Non -Executive Board Director at UK Athletics.
Appointed as Chairwoman in 2001 for The Football Association Appeals Board, that was extended in 2005 by Sports Resolutions to other areas such as Swimming, Anti-Doping, Child Protection and the Illegibility Appeal involving Sports Council Recognition of a sport
Appointed to the Safeguarding Children in Sport panel
Appointed to the Ad Hoc Division for the UEFA EURO 2012 as an Arbitration Judge
Honorary Vice President of Birchfield Harriers (2012 to present)
In May 2013 Blondel Thompson was successfully interviewed and placed on the Special Tribunal for Lebanon List of Victims Counsel
Appointed to the Ad-Hoc Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) as an arbitrator judge to cover the XX Commonwealth Games in Glasgow 2014
Appointed as Specialist Member of the National Anti-Doping Panel
2015 – Admitted to the International Criminal Court List of Counsel, The Hague, The Netherlands
2017 – Appointed to the Disciplinary Panel for England Boxing
2017 – Appointed as a Bencher of the Middle Temple
2017 – Member of Women In Sports Law
2018 – Middle Temple Midlands Circuit Society Committee Member
2020 Mentor to junior barristers on the Midlands Circuit
2021 Mentoring programme with Crankshaft at Oxford university
2022 Middle Temple Midlands Circuit Society Leader
2022 – Appointed by Sports Resolution as an Arbitrator Judge to the Federal Court of the XXII Commonwealth Games in Birmingham
