Mark Heywood KC has been ranked as a ‘Star Individual’ in the Chambers UK Guide to the Bar since 2013, and is a recognised leader at the Bar. He was awarded the Chambers UK Bar ‘Crime Silk of the Year’ award in 2018.
Mark is a former First Senior Treasury Counsel at the Central Criminal Court having held that post between 2015 & 2018. His practice is concentrated on the most serious of criminal work that comes before our Courts, at the Central Criminal Court, Administrative Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. He has appeared in the High Court in civil contempt proceedings, most recently for a claimant Hong Kong Bank where the defendant was sentenced to 18 months and ordered to pay indemnity costs.
Since his role of Senior Treasury Counsel, Mark Heywood KC has primarily been involved in cases of alleged financial misconduct. He led the prosecution team for the SFO in Op Glacier, the prosecution of a former Airbus subsidiary that was ordered to pay more than 30 million pounds ($42 million) after pleading guilty to corruption over contracts to provide military communications services for the Saudi Arabian National Guard. He has provided pre-charge representations to a client that the SFO suspected had conspired to make corrupt payments contrary to s.1 of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906 and s.1 of the Criminal Law Act 1977, and was interviewed about his actions in particular, the SFO suspects was involved in actions leading to agreements to make corrupt payments to Nigerian and Malaysian Government Officials, which was discontinued. Further successful pre-charge work includes advice given to an SFO suspect in relation to bribery and corruption involving Petrobas, the value of the contract was said could easily be up to $2 billion. Trial work has including Op Cullinan, a multi-company boiler room fraud involving the sale of diamonds that was dismissed at half time and Op Balaban, a £7m carbon credit fraud that was again dismissed at the close of the crown case.
Mr Heywood has considerable experience in cases of terrorism, large scale corruption, serious & organised crime and offences of homicide. He regularly provides advice to the Attorney General and Director of Public Prosecutions on a range of matters, particularly those being considered by the appellate courts as well as other governmental departments. Other work includes advising upon matters concerning gross negligence manslaughter involving the medical profession and litigation involving the SFO and FSA. He also advises in matters where a private prosecution is sought.
Cases have included the serial killer Levi Bellfield, Operation Crevice the longest running Old Bailey trial better known as the Fertiliser Bomb plot, Nicola Edginton the mental health patient convicted for the killing of an innocent bystander and the attempted murder of two others in Bexleyheath after a cry for help, the Supreme Court hearing of Gnango [2011 UKSC 59] on transferred malice/joint enterprise, Arthur Simpson-Kent who was sentenced to life for the murder of Eastenders actress Sian Blake and their two children. Recent defence work has included a murder trial in the Cayman Islands (R v Sanchez).
