Ben Holt

Practice Profile

Ben Holt is a specialist criminal barrister. He has been instructed as leading and led junior for the prosecution and defence in the full range of criminal cases; from homicide to fraud and money laundering. Ben was appointed Treasury Counsel monitoree in August 2021.

Ben is a Grade-4 CPS advocate on the general crime, special crime and fraud panels as well as Grade-3 on the counter-terrorism panel. He is appointed to Panel B of the SFO’s panel of advocates.

He regularly receives instructions from the full range of Specialist Units within the CPS; both as led and leading junior. He has recently been instructed by the Homicide Unit, Special Casework Units [London and the South-East], Specialist Fraud Division, International Justice and Organised Crime Unit [now SEOCID] and the Counter Terrorism Division.

He regularly receives instructions from the full range of Specialist Units within the CPS; both as led and leading junior. He has recently been instructed by the Homicide Unit, Special Casework Units [London and the South-East], Specialist Fraud Division, International Justice and Organised Crime Unit [now SEOCID] and the Counter Terrorism Division.

He has been instructed in a number of murder, attempted murder and road fatality cases. In addition, Ben is instructed in substantial cases involving fraud and international money laundering; both for the prosecution and defence. He has undertaken a significant number of cases as part of Op Northleigh; the investigation into the Grenfell Tower disaster. He has prosecuted (alone and as a leading junior) numerous class A drug conspiracies where the evidence comes from data obtained from Operation Venetic.

Ben has specific experience in dealing with complicated disclosure issues; these have included the handling of particularly sensitive material and reviewing cases which have involved evidence from Covert Human Intelligence Sources and RIPA warrants. He has been instructed by the CPS to review disclosure on various matters and has worked together with the NCA and specialist units of the Metropolitan Police in this regard. For example, he was instructed to review the sensitive disclosure as part of Op Melrose (the investigation into the 39 Vietnamese migrants who died).

Ben has also advised on a wide range of cases pre-charge; including homicide, road fatalities and large-scale fraud investigations. Advice has included matters relating to LPP material.

As Treasury Counsel Monitoree, Ben regularly advises the Attorney General’s Office in relation to Unduly Lenient Sentences. He frequently appears in the Court of Appeal; instructed by the AGO to argue the Reference.

Ben has spent a 9-month period of secondment with HSBC conducting a past-business review into mis-sold interest rate hedging products.

Ben's Privacy Policy can be downloaded here.

Upcoming cases:

R v E [Wood Green CC] 2023

Homicide allegation – stabbing in Tottenham. Led by Bill Boyce QC.

R v A [CCC] 2023

Attempted murder. Defendant stabbed his partner in the neck.

Operation Ananke [Southwark CC] 2023

Leading Junior for the Crown. Twenty-one handed indictment alleging a loan fraud carried out against NatWest Bank [Instructed by CPS, SFD].

Operation Elite [Kingston CC] 2023

Defendants alleged to have imported approximately 100kgs of cocaine using a network of lorry drivers. Evidence comes from Operation Venetic. Leading.

R v P & Ors [CCC] 2023

Murder trial. Allegation that three defendants have tortured the deceased; resulting in her death. Led.

R v Y & Ors [CCC] 2023

Murder trial. Stabbing close to Waterloo Station. Led.

Operation Melrose [CCC] 2023

Junior counsel in the prosecution for immigration offences; linked to the deaths of 39 Vietnamese nationals in Purfleet. Led by Jonathan Polnay.

Operation Northleigh [Isleworth CC] 2023 and 2024

Three upcoming cases; single and multi-handed cases. They involve allegations of fraud arising from the Grenfell Tower disaster. One of the defendants was a genuine resident of the Tower at the time of the tragedy. [Instructed by CPS, SCU].

Operation Pollux [Southwark CC] 2024

Seven-handed multi-million pound fraud and money laundering allegations. Led.

 

 

Appointments

• Monitoree Treasury Counsel

Panel Appointments:

• SFO – Panel B
• CPS General Crime – Level 4
• CPS Special Crime – Level 4
• CPS Fraud – Level 4
• CPS Counter Terrorism – Level 3

News

• Op Melrose [CCC] 2023

  People-smuggling gang linked to 39 migrant deaths in Essex

  Ben Holt leading Sam Willis acted for the crown in the trial of Caolan Gormley, a haulage boss from Co Tyrone, who was convicted for his role in the death of 39 Vietnamese migrants in a Lorry in Purfleet Essex in the Autumn of 2019.

  News report here.

• R v S-P & T [Southwark] 2023

  Investment Fraud

  Ben Holt led for the prosecution in this trial of two defendants alleged convicted of committing fraud by abuse of position in relation to investments made on behalf of clients. Both were directors of an advisory business. They fraudulently advised their clients to invest in an investment scheme that they had set up. Both businesses failed; leaving their clients at a financial loss. [Instructed by CPS, SFD Manchester].

• R v Kersys [Kingston] 2022

  One Punch Manslaughter

  Ben Holt was sole prosecution counsel in a ‘one-punch manslaughter’ trial.

   

• Operation Locomotion [Southwark] 2022

  VAT evasion

  Ben Holt was Lead prosecutor in a six-handed VAT evasion trial. The defendants were convicted of setting up a warehouse in Essex that was used to divert alcohol that should have been travelling under bond. The scheme was running for almost a year; the total loss to the Revenue was over £2m.

• R v O [Wood Green] 2022

  Attempted Murder of mothers partner

  Ben Holt acted for the Crown in this prosecution of a man for attempted murder. He attacked his mother’s partner with a baseball bat.

View All Cases