Notable Cases:

• R v HP – Leading Junior in a £33 million MTIC fraud.
• R v WG – Defence in £250m investment fraud and confiscation proceedings (Imperial Consolidated).
• R v RF – Vantis tax avoidance case – sole counsel in restraint, confiscation, civil proceedings, and appeal.
• R v P – £35m MTIC fraud – leading counsel in confiscation case involving third party property interests.
• R v F – Confiscation and restraint proceedings as sole counsel against QC following conviction for tax avoidance scheme.
• R v K – Discharge of a restraint order in a major plant equipment fraud.
• Re X – Advising offshore professionals on AML compliance and Criminal Finances Act obligations.

Appeals and Strategic Advisory

• R v S [2019] EWCA Crim 569 – Successfully appealed revised confiscation order; PII and in camera evidence.
• R v M – Discharged pre-charge restraint in social media lottery investigation.
• R v Axworthy – Leading case on proportionality in confiscation – [2012] EWCA Crim 2889.
• Re Company – Challenge to financial penalties before First Tier and Upper Tribunal (ICO matter).
• Re Offshore Matter – Judicial review proceedings concerning corruption and cross-border seizure.

Confiscation Law

Recent Cases:

• R v S – instructed by the defence to oppose the application by the prosecution to revisit a historical confiscation order. Case involved issues of Public Interest Immunity and the cross examination of police officers ‘in camera’. Case reported at R v S [2019] EWCA Crim 569, [2019] All ER (D) 44 (Apr).
• R v Z – instructed to represent the interests of a third party asserting their rights in a parcel of land owned by an off shore trust based in the Caribbean.
• R v X – instructed as new counsel to conduct confiscation proceedings in the Crown Court and in the Court of Appeal. Successfully reduced a criminal benefit figure from in excess of £3 million to just in excess of £30,000. After losing the initial hearing, the confiscation order was successfully quashed on appeal and at the new hearing the prosecution conceded the argument.
• R v D – instructed as new counsel to conduct confiscation proceedings concerning a £2 million VAT fraud and Fraudulent Trading case involving allegations involving a substantial amount of hidden assets in excess of £300,000.
• R v M – instructed to discharge a pre charge restraint order imposed against several defendants allegedly involved in an illegal lottery being operated via social media.
• R v K – instructed to discharge a restraint order levelled against a defendant facing allegations of a large scale and wide ranging plant equipment fraud.
• R v K – instructed as new counsel to represent a former VAT inspector convicted of a £750,000 VAT fraud.

Previous Cases of Note:

• R v F – instructed to represent as sole counsel [against Queen’s Counsel] a tax consultant convicted of being the architect of a tax avoidance scheme. Dealt with the restraint, confiscation and related civil proceedings in the Crown Court, High Court and Court of Appeal.
• R v A – instructed as Led Junior to represent a chartered accountant in his confiscation proceedings following his conviction for a £150 million Ponzi scheme.
• R v P – instructed as Leading Counsel to represent a defendant in a £35 million MTIC Fraud and the resulting confiscation proceedings involving issues of third party interests in relation to numerous properties,
• R v M – instructed as sole counsel to represent a defendant accused of an £8 million direct and indirect tax fraud arising from the CIS construction scheme.
• R v S – instructed as new counsel to represent a defendant accused of having £2.5 million in hidden assets based in the UAE.
• R v Axworthy – one of the first reported cases on the issue of proportionality in confiscation cases. Case reported at [2012] EWCA Crim 2889

Criminal and Regulatory Appeals

Cases of note:

• R v S – instructed as sole junior counsel to conduct an appeal against the imposition of a revised confiscation order which involved issues surrounding Public Interest Immunity (PII) due to the importance of the case it is a reported decision and can be found at R v S [2019] EWCA Crim 569, [2019] All ER (D) 44 (Apr).
• Re X – instructed as Led Junior Counsel to advise upon case stated and judicial review proceedings in an off shore jurisdiction involving allegations of governmental corruption.
• Re a company – instructed to represent a company in the First Tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal of the Regulatory Chamber concerning a challenge towards the level of financial penalty imposed by the Information Commissioner.
• R v N – instructed as sole junior counsel to conduct an appeal against the imposition of a confiscation order. The appeal was successful and the original order sought by the Prosecution of £3 million was eventually reduced to £31,500.
• R v N – instructed as sole junior counsel to conduct an appeal against conviction in relation to a large scale fraud based on the failings of the appellant’s solicitors at trial to prepare his case effectively and thoroughly due to a conflict of interest which only became known to the appellant post his conviction.