Kneecap's army of KCs

Single handedly responsible for a bump in GDP

Kneecap band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh – known by his stage name Mo Chara – had his big day out during the week. He has been charged with a terrorism offence and appeared at Westminster magistrate’s court where he was granted unconditional bail until his next hearing on the 20^th of August.

If reports are to be believed his next outing will be an even bigger day out, so mark it your diary. Mr Óg Ó hAnnaidh has such a big legal team he will be single handedly responsible for a bump in GDP that Chancellor Rachel Reeves should send him a thank you note.

Some basics. Mr Óg Ó hAnnaidh has been charged with an offence under the Terrorism Act 2000. He is accused of breaching section 13(1)(b) and (3) of the Terrorism Act 2000 by allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag at a Kneecap concert in London in November 2024. It is a summary only offence with a maximum penalty of 6 months imprisonment and/or a fine.

It is true that any terror charge is serious because it could hinder his right to travel to the US. However it is still just a summary only offence. These are the least serious offences of the three. A summary only offence can only be tried in the magistrates’ court. An either way offence is one that can be tried either in the magistrates’ court or the crown court, the choice being the defendants. An indictable only offence must be tried by judge and jury in the crown court.

Photo by Jedi Equester on Unsplash

Last week, Kneecap announced Mr Ó hAnnaidh's legal team.

It comprises Gareth Peirce, solicitor for Gerry Conlon and the Guildford Four and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. His team also includes Darragh Mackin from Phoenix Law.

There is Rosalind Comyn a barrister and Brenda Campbell KC, Jude Bunting KC and Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh KC,

So Gareth Peirce is a solicitor. Darragh Mackin is director at Human Rights Lawyers Phoenix. He acted for Kneecap in their successful challenge to Kemi Badenoch when she was in government and her decision to withhold funding for the group.

Now the barristers. Rosalind Comyn is a junior barrister at Matrix chambers, that’s the same chambers as the current Attorney – General Lord Hermer KC. So is Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh KC. She was part of South Africa's legal team in its case against Israel, accusing the country of genocide.

Brenda Campbell KC is at Garden Court chambers. That’s the same chambers as Greg Ó Ceallaigh KC. You will remember him from the previous episode of human rights barristers and the one that doesn’t like Tories.

According to the Times, “before becoming a judge, Greg Ó Ceallaigh KC also publicly supported the campaign to reverse Brexit and posted jokes about Jimmy Savile, derogatory remarks about Conservative politicians and President Trump. He also said the Conservative Party should be “dealt with as you would deal with the Nazis. Earlier this year he reposted comments by the Asylum Aid charity on his LinkedIn page calling for the repeal of the entirety of the Illegal Migration Act and another post welcoming Labour’s decision to scrap the Rwanda deportation scheme.”

Mr Ó Ceallaigh KC is now a judge who presides over the deportation asylum appeals. That makes sense. The thing about Britain or at least the English legal system is that it tends to promote those who represent people who hate the British state with the power of a thousand suns. It’s an interesting system, I’ll say that. Douglas Murray explains more here.

Jude Bunting KC is at Doughty Street Chambers, that is the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s old set. Starmer was a founding member of Doughty Street Chambers in 1990.

I tell you what that’s a lot of lawyers for a summary only offence. Totting it up it is six lawyers in total: two solicitors, one junior barrister and three, count them three silks.

I can tell you now they are not all there because of the cab rank rule. I’m laughing to myself just thinking about the clerks calling up Ms Ní Ghrálaigh KC or Jude Bunting KC and saying we have a quick first appearance there for you at Westminster magistrates’ court. The name is Óg Ó hAnnaidh, call in your result.

No this gang are there because they want to be. Just like Lord Hemer KC wanted to represent Gerry Adams and the mother of the lad who liked to decapitate people. That was El Shafee Elsheikh who was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in 2022 in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia. His jury trial established that he was one he was one of the notorious “Beatles,” captors nicknamed for their accents and known for torturing and beating prisoners. Elsheikh's convictions revolved around the deaths of four American hostages: James Foley, Steven Sotloff, Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller. All but Mueller were executed in videotaped beheadings circulated online. Mueller was forced into slavery and raped multiple times by Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi before she was killed.

Lord Hermer KC represented the mother Maha Elgizouli of El Shafee Elsheikh who clearly did a bang up job in raising her son. The Times made Hermer lawyer of the week for winning a case that made it harder for the US to get the eventual conviction if cooperation exposed the young head - chopping lad to the risk of the death sentence. I know I was drying my eyes too. You can read about that here.

This was all a choice by Hermer. And it is not that any of these barristers are bad lawyers – quite the opposite. They will be excellent lawyers. That’s the point. That is the entire point and why I reluctantly admire the left – wing elite so much. They look after their own. They don’t have to be asked twice.

Back to Kneecap - I keep getting distracted. Also don’t make the mistake in thinking these lawyers are old and fussy. They aren’t. Jude Bunting KC who I remember from bar school, is disgustingly young. But I just try not to think about it all too much or I get the depression.

Anyway, I don’t know if the Kneecap gang are acting pro – bono or being privately paid but I assume none of this is on the legal aid. Legal aid is for mere mortals. I spent a fair amount of time in Westminster magistrates’ court when I was a pupil barrister although it has since changed location. It used to be on Horseferry Road so I’d get the tube to Westminster and walk down. Now it is at Marylebone Road near Edgware road. Very confusing but there we are.

This is usually how it goes. Back in the golden days you were given a number of cases for the mags court, I think my top number might have been nine. They are not trials. They are first appearances which can turn into a sentence hearing if your client decides to plead guilty that day and you have to mitigate. Usually you were given papers, but not always.

Anyway, you had your papers, you had your consultation with your client upstairs if they were on bail, in the cells if they had been remanded in custody, and if you were really lucky you might get paid for about a third of the cases two years later. And when I say paid it was less than £100 but I honestly can’t remember that well and it was a long time ago. Some of my happiest days were at Westminster magistrates’ court, I’m not going to lie.

So well done to the working class lad from Belfast though with his three silks, one junior barrister and two solicitors for the summary only offence. That’s six lawyers, one more lawyer than every other defendant will have had at any magistrates’ court on any given day. Now it is true that Julian Assange packed the court with silks who had to slum in the magistrates’ court for a few days but that was an extradition hearing – not a summary only criminal offence.

This means August 20^th is lining up to be quite a humdinger. They are going to have to order in a lot of Pret sandwiches for that legal team. And it’s not just the lawyers who need feeding. The next hearing I think is just on legal argument – the CPS may not have laid the charge in time – but despite being a fluent English speaker Mr Óg Ó hAnnaidh has requested an Irish speaker as he is also fluent in Irish, his native language.

Now I can understand that if he wants to give his evidence in Irish, as a British subject he is entitled to do so and have his answers translated for the court. However, if it is just a legal argument and not evidence, I’m not sure why the translator is needed as everyone in the courtroom can understand and speak English perfectly well. Still, a translator is another job created by Kneecap – a one band job creating team. And it will lengthen the hearing which will be music to ears of all those lawyers, six in total.

Kneecap have a solid following now of supporters draped in Palestinian flags and wearing those traditional Palestinian Keffiyeh scarves. Whoever is making those two items must be turning a serious profit right now. This Keffiyeh scarf which is 80% cotton (handy in a heat wave) will only set you back a mere 166.81 Euros. That’s an absolute bargain. There are cheaper versions on Amazon though. This Palestinian Kufieh Black and White Hatta Arab Scarf Keffiyeh is very fetching and comes in a pack of three, a steal at only E99. Maybe the lads could get them for the three silks, a real money saver which is what they will need if the lawyers are not working pro – bono.

Where was I? Sorry I got lost there in merch. Kneecap supporters. Yes there are a lot of those now who have marked August 20^th in the diary (that is a time when senior barristers like to get away on holiday so it does make me smile). This means the lads are going to need an even bigger entourage, bag carriers and all round heavies, as we like to call them down our way, to manage the fans. Irish names I assume are optional but welcome when it comes to the Kneecap hiring and firing scheme.

So there we have it. I just feel sorry for all the staff, the security guys, the Serco team and the clerks at Westminster magistrates’ court for the big Kneecap day out on August 20^th. They’ll have their hands full.