Rupert Kent

Practice Profile

Rupert is a polished and sought-after barrister routinely instructed in the defence and prosecution of complex, multi-handed and lengthy cases involving financial crime and serious crime, in particular in ‘white collar’ fraud and organised crime. He is regularly instructed as leading counsel, and also appears as a led junior or junior alone. He is a Grade 4 CPS General Crime Advocate Panel member, receives Serious Fraud Office instruction (being security cleared), and is public access qualified.

In relation to financial crime, Rupert is both a Grade 4 CPS Fraud Specialist Advocate Panel member and a Serious Fraud Office B Panel member, and has advisory and advocacy experience (for both the prosecution and defence, and on appeal) in the following areas:

• Business crime
• Insolvency
• Asset restraint
• Confiscation
• Money laundering
• Investment fraud
• Banking fraud
• Tax fraud
• Mandate fraud
• Duty evasion fraud
• Immigration fraud

In relation to serious crime, Rupert is a Grade 4 CPS Serious Crime Specialist Advocate Panel member, and has advisory and advocacy experience (as above) in the following areas:

• Homicide and serious violence
• Firearms
• Drugs importation and supply
• Gang activity
• Human trafficking

Rupert's Privacy Policy can be downloaded here.

Appointments

• CPS General Crime- Level 4
• CPS Fraud- Level 4
• CPS Serious Crime- Level 4
• SFO - B Panel
• Kosovo Specialist Chambers Specialist Counsel (Defence; Victims)

Memberships

• Fraud Lawyers Association
• South Eastern Circuit

News

• R v C & 7 Ors [Southwark Crown Court] 2021

  Immigration Fraud

  Rupert Kent was instructed by the CPS London Complex Casework Unit as leading junior in this eight-handed immigration fraud, arising from a Home Office investigation into the large-scale abuse of the UKBA’s Tier 2 (skilled workers) leave-to-remain visa system.

• Operation Radiator [Manchester Crown Court] 2021

  Revenue Evasion & Money Laundering

  Rupert Kent was instructed by the CPS Specialist Fraud Division as junior alone in this three-handed revenue evasion case, arising from an HMRC investigation into the activities of a UK-based organised criminal network involved in the evasion of £41.5m in tobacco duty, and the smuggling of £6.7m in cash out of the UK.

• R v G & 5 Others [Southwark Crown Court] 2021

  Money Laundering

  Rupert Kent was instructed by the CPS as a junior alone (two-counsel application pending) in this six-handed money laundering case, involving the activities of a bureau-de-change concerned in the large-scale laundering of criminal pound sterling into Euro currency.

• R v S & 3 Ors [Southwark Crown Court] 2021

  Money Laundering

  Rupert Kent was instructed by the CPS London Complex Casework Unit as leading junior in this four-handed money laundering case, involving the activities of an organised criminal group who laundered the criminal proceeds of stolen, and ‘rung’, vehicles.

• R v A [CCC] 2020

  Attempted Murder

  Rupert Kent was instructed as junior alone by the CPS to prosecute this attempted murder, relating to the infliction of serious knife injuries by the defendant upon his infant daughter.

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