Jonathan Clarke
Practice
Jonathan practises exclusively in criminal law, both prosecuting and defending in any serious cases. He practises throughout the country, although based in the North West. Whilst he has a particular interest in defending, he is a CPS Category 3 prosecutor.
Jonathan has particular experience in the following areas:
• Fraud, including carousel frauds, money
laundering, and confiscation.
• Homicide and other serious violence.
• Serious sexual offences, including rape, and
other sexual assaults.
• Drugs and firearms conspiracies.
In addition to the more typical cases in the criminal calendar, Jonathan also has special interest and experience in the following areas:
• Trading standards prosecutions, particularly
in relation to counterfeit goods.
• Prosecutions under the Environmental
Protection Act 1990, especially
statutory nuisances.
• Prosecutions under the Health and Safety at
Work etc Act 1974.
• Prosecutions brought by the Department of
Work and Pensions.
Reported Cases:
R v Birmingham [2007] EWCA Crim 2869, [2008] 1 WLR 1615
Successfully resisting the appeal concerning the alternative verdicts to be left to a jury in murder trials.
R v Roberts [2006] EWCA Crim. 2915,[2007] 2 All ER 584, [2007] 1 WLR 1109
Successfully resisting the renewed application for leave to reduce the tariff for the applicant’s second murder conviction.
Other recent cases:
R v Craig
Defence of a youth with alleged gang connections, charged with a stabbing murder.
R v Mehmet
Defence of one of a number of defendants in a carousel VAT fraud.
R v Woltman
Defence of a businessman charged with dealing in counterfeit clothing.
R v Barlow
Defence of a lady of good character accused of conspiracy to commit trade mark offences and money laundering, in relation to a fraud over internet auction site eBay.
R v Guy
Defence in a large scale drugs conspiracy.
R v Shea
Defence of the wife of a major drug supplier, prosecuted for money laundering offences, arising out of her possession of his acquisitions.
WLDC v Leisure Lakes MX Ltd.
Prosecution of the proprietors of an off road motorbike track for noise nuisance affecting local residents.
R v Sedgwick
Prosecution of a caretaker at a special school, convicted after trial of sexually assaulting a pupil at the school with severe learning difficulties.
R v Bushel
Defence of historic rape allegations on the Defendant’s daughter and step-daughter.
R v Ariobeke
Prosecution of the Defendant for breach of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order. This was the first ever such prosecution where the defendant had never been convicted of a sexual offence.
R v Gleave
Defending one of 10 youths charged with a particularly serious violent disorder and GBH with intent, in which another youth was left with brain injury.
Personal
B.Sc. (Hons)
C.P.E. (College of Law)
B.V.C. (MMU)
CPS Grade 3 Prosecutor
Member of the Inner Temple
Member of the Criminal Bar Association
Former Officer in the Royal Navy
Interests – Sailing, cycling, triathlon and travel
