Sam Willis

• R v. O [Norwich] 2021

  Drug 'sweet shop' at music festival

  Sam Willis prosecuted this drugs supply case - the defendant had been found at a popular music festival in Norfolk with a 'sweet shop' of illegal drugs. A 10-count indictment reflected the various different substances that the defendant had with him. In the face of a well-prepared prosecution case, the defendant pleaded guilty on the first day of trial.

• R v. G [Isleworth] 2021

  Trial of the act - possession of bladed articles and assault

  Sam Willis prosecuted this case involving possession of bladed articles and assault. Preparation for the trial involved issues of joinder, hearsay, and conflicting medical evidence. Whilst remanded in custody awaiting trial, the defendant's mental health deteriorated which resulted in the court finding him unfit to plead. Sam then successfully presented the prosecution case during a trial of the act.

• R v. A [Aylesbury] 2020

  Employee theft of £45k by manipulating computer records

  Sam Willis was instructed by the CPS Complex Casework Unit to prosecute this theft case. The Defendant had been manipulating the computer records at her workplace, in order to steal £45k during her three years of employment. Sam was able to use his previous IT experience in order to collate and condense the 500 pages of computer evidence into a clear schedule for the jury.

• R v. S [Croydon] 2020

  Evasion of duty on 150,000 cigarettes

  Sam Willis was instructed by the specialist fraud unit to prosecute this case of ‘tobacco smuggling’. The defendant had been importing, storing and selling cigarettes for over three years, without paying any import duty or VAT on them.

• R v. C [Guildford] 2020

  Supplying software to 'DDOS' websites and gaming servers

  Sam Willis defended in this computer misuse and money laundering case. The offences involved the supplying of software used to 'DDOS' websites and gaming servers (temporarily disabling them). The served evidence consisted of 30,000 pages of computer logs, and links to other defendants in the USA introduced additional complexity.

• R v. N [Newcastle] 2020

  12-handed conspiracy to evade £2.6m duty on tobacco

  Sam Willis was instructed as led-junior in this 12-handed tobacco importation matter. The overall duty evaded was calculated to be over £2.6 million. Preparation for the case required extensive analysis of mobile telephone billing data.

• R v. K [Lewes] 2019

  Stalking through Facebook, involving 74,000 pages of computer extracts

  Sam Willis, led by Paul Walker, defended in this five-week trial involving allegations of stalking. The prosecution evidence consisted of 74,000 pages of Facebook extracts and computer downloads. The ability to analyse large quantities of digital evidence was crucial to the defence case - it led to a 40-page defence bundle being placed before the jury to provide context and balance to the 550-page prosecution bundles.

Notable Cases