Court number 18 at Snaresbrook Crown Court descended into hysterics last week when an experienced barrister attempted to translate teen text slang for members of the jury, in an ongoing case where Unan Choudhury is the instructed solicitor for two of the four defendants.

The prosecution barrister was reading out text messages the defendants are said to have sent one another during a shooting spree in Dagenham. In one, the youngest defendant, who is 16, wrote, “Hurry up I've got bare haters around me now.” Prosecutor Mark Paltenghi (who is described by his chambers as someone ‘who has a reputation for deploying the evidence in a straightforward manner that is readily understood by a jury’) told the jury, “It means: ‘Hurry up, I've got a lot of people who don't particularly like me here.’”

Another text message read: “Hurry up I've got a strap on me, this is bare bait”. Mr Paltenghi told the jury, “We believe this means: ‘Hurry up, I've got a gun on me, and this is really risky.’”

The attempt to translate the ‘street slang’ had all the defendants and the jury erupting into laughter when they were read out in court. Thankfully, Unan, who regularly deals with young clients and frequently appears to represent clients in the Youth Courts, is fluent in street slang and therefore did not need to assistance or expense of an interpreter when preparing for this case!

The case is ongoing.