Anthony Orchard KC

Practice Profile

Anthony Orchard KC is a leading criminal silk, ranked in the latest editions of Chambers UK Bar Guide and the Legal 500 with a practice concentrated upon homicide, serious fraud cases, sexual offending and organised crime.

Mr Orchard has appeared in over eighty homicide trials at the Central Criminal Court and elsewhere, many involving allegations of multiple shooting, gangland murder and revenge, including R v Michael Philpott and others (the 2013 “Derby fire” case). 

His practice in silk includes extensive experience in organised and very serious crime, complex fraud, money-laundering, internet hacking, confiscation, sexual offences, human trafficking, importation and supply of drugs and he is frequently called upon to advise clients under investigation. Mr Orchard regularly defends and prosecutes cases brought by the Serious Fraud Office and the Financial Conduct Authority. Fraud cases undertaken have included VAT diversion, Internation Carbon Trading, "Boiler Room" frauds, "Ponzi" schemes and Insurance fraud.

He is regularly instructed to advise on SOCPA contracts, PACE, PII matters, RIPA, Surveillance law, Abuse of Process and all Disclosure issues and is representative of the Criminal Bar Association on the Home Office PACE Strategy Board.

Anthony's Privacy Policy can be downloaded here.

Reported Cases

• R v. Waller [1994] Crim. L.R. 863
• R v. Winn-Pope [1996] Crim. L.R. 521
• R v. Sara Smith  [2002] 1 Cr App R (S) 61
• Attorney-General’s Reference No. 88 of 2002 (Carl Weston Griffiths) [2003] EWCA Crim 3010
• Attorney- General’s Reference No. 90 of 2002 (Alan Moulden)  [2003] 2 Cr App R (S) 16
• Attorney-General’s Reference No. 125 of 2002 (Steven Dunster) [2003] EWCA Crim 1166
• Attorney-General’s Reference No. 135 of 2002 (Robert Terrence Gray) [2003] 2 Cr App R (S) 109
• Attorney-General’s Reference Nos. 150 and 151 of 2002 (Ashley Leon Warren and Kyrt Anthony Whellams)  [2003] 2 Cr App R (S) 111
• Attorney-General’s Reference No. 10 of 2003 (R v. J) The Times, 30th May 2003; [2003] EWCA Crim 1620
• Attorney-General’s Reference No. 18 of 2003 (Leslie Ivor Tombs) [2003] EWCA Crim 2426
• Attorney-General’s Reference No. 64 of 2003 (Moussin Boujettif) [2003] EWCA Crim 3514; The Times,  27th November 2003; [2004] 2 Cr.App.R.(S.) 106 (22); [2004] Crim. L.R. 241
• Attorney-General’s Reference No. 73 of 2003 (Umaharan Ranganathan) [2004] EWCA Crim 183; [2004] 2 Cr.App.R. (S.) 337 (62)
• Attorney-General’s Reference No. 86 of 2003 (David Parkinson) [2004] 2 Cr.App.R. (S.) 421 (79); [2004] EWCA Crim 428
• Attorney-General’s Reference No. 89 of 2003 (Gavin Steill) [2004] EWCA Crim 709; [2004] 2 Cr.App.R. (S.) 502 (94)
• R v. Zuber Makbul Ali & Anandeep Lotay [2004] EWCA Crim 2835; [2005] 2 Cr.App.R. (S.) 2 at p.6
• R v. Peters and others [2005] EWCA Crim 605, [2005] 2 Cr.App.R. (S.) 101
• R v. Jones, Ashman and others [2005] EWCA 3115, [2006] 2 Cr.App.R. (S.) 19
• R v. McGrady [2007] EWCA Crim 192; [2007] 2 Cr.App.R. (S.) 56 at p.347
• R v. Murdoch [2007] EWCA 1123
• R v. J. and others [2007] EWCA 3133, 72 J.C.L. 196, CA (12/12/07)
• R v. Griffin [2008] 2 Cr.App.R. (S.) 357 (61)
• R v G(G) & B (S) [2009] EWCA Crim 1207
• R v. Gary Kelly [2010] EWCA Crim 197  
• R v. Akiniyi and Oniwinde [2010] EWCA Crim 345
• R v. Biddulph [2010] EWCA Crim 567
• R v. Jabbar [2013] EWCA Crim 801

 

News

• Operation Tambo [Central Criminal Court] 2022

  Three Handed Murder

  Three-handed murder trial at the Central Criminal Court. First defendant charged with murdering a fellow resident at the YMCA hostel in Wimbledon. Two further defendants alleged to have helped him conceal the murder weapon in a vent. Case involved detailed analysis of hours of CCTV footage.  Instructed by CPS, Homicide.

  Led by Anthony Orchard KC

   

• R v Gopaul and Bannerman [C.C.C.] 2020

  Homicide

  Anthony Orchard QC led William Davis for the prosecution in a murder trial following an incident outside a nightclub in which a man was stabbed. After the killing the Defendant fled to Cyprus with the assistance of a friend, who was convicted of assisting an offender. The Defendant was extradited to the UK in 2019.

  Press coverage: 
   

• R v Bryan & Ahwan [Kingston] 2020 2020

  Murder

  Anthony Orchard QC led William Davis in the prosecution of two defendants for an incident in Kingston town centre in which a van was deliberately driven at one males, and another was fatally stabbed.

  Press Coverage here.

• R v SA [C.C.C.] 2020 2020

  Murder

  Anthony Orchard QC led William Davis in the prosecution of a defendant in connection with an incident at an all-night party in Aldgate in which one man was fatally stabbed, and three others were injured.

• R v. Donovan & Woolcock [C.C.C.] 2019

  Loss of control murder

  Anthony Orchard QC led Charlotte Newell for the prosecution in a murder trial involving two cousins for the murder of their great uncle. The first defendant alleged loss of self-control; both defendants convicted following a trial.

  BBC report here.

View All Cases

Notable Cases

• R v. Philpott & ors [Nottingham] 2013

  "Derby" fire case

  Anthony Orchard QC defended Michael Philpott, accused of starting the fire that led to the deaths of six of his seventeen children in his Derby home in May 2012. The case attracted massive media coverage. Issues dealt with included previous allegations of historic sexual assault and abuse; the defendant’s previous convictions for assault and attempted murder; his detailed background history; other historic character issues, mobile phone linkage and the admissibility of surveillance evidence