Recent Cases

• 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.

• Operation Northleigh [Isleworth CC] 2020

  Grenfell Tower Fraud

  Ben Holt prosecuted this two-handed trial. Both defendants were convicted by a jury of having committed fraud by lying that they were living in Grenfell Tower at the time of the disaster [Instructed by CPS, SCU]. 

  News report

  Met Police report here.

• Operation Tennyson [Southwark] 2020

  International 'Phishing' Fraud

  Jeffery Israel led Phoebe Bragg in this 5 month case involving over 250,000 pages of evidence.  Defendants accused of international ‘phishing’ fraud and subsequent money laundering. Vast quantities of banking and telephone evidence as the monies were layered from the UK, onto Nigeria via China, giving rise to multi-jurisdictional issues and disclosure requests.

• 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. JO’C [Kingston] 2019

  £1m Fraud

  Gregory Fishwick acted for this Defendant who was one of three people accused of defrauding a vulnerable elderly male of his life savings and his home to a total value of over £1Million.  His name had appeared on the original conveyance file as the purchaser at a significant undervalue (£20,000) and he was also identified as being involved in the later transfer of title.  Despite both other Defendants pleading guilty during the course of the trial, Gregory secured a unanimous acquittal for his client. Instructed by Paul Martin Solicitors.

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Notable Cases

• In the matter of M [Southwark] 2018

  Manipulation of interbank benchmark rates

  Natasha Wong QC acted for former derivatives trader in regulatory proceedings brought by the FCA and in criminal proceedings involving the alleged dishonest manipulation of interbank benchmark rates. Instructed by Withers Worldwide/Sternberg Reed.

• Operation Lunar [Birmingham] 2017

  £Multi-Million HMRC Tax Avoidance Prosecution

  Sarah Forshaw QC and Robert Ellison acted in the defence of this defendant charged with 10 others of a multi-million pound  conspiracy to cheat HMRC. The fraud centred around multiple tax avoidance schemes. The charges were dismissed against our client following legal argument. The trial on the remaining defendants is listed for 6 months in 2019. Instructed by King and Spalding LLP.

• Operation Canon [Southwark] 2016

  £80m Ponzi Scheme

  Sarah Forshaw QC, instructed by the SFO, successfully prosecuted this £80m "Ponzi" scheme. The defendants purported to be a successful supplier of electrical goods such as light bulbs, air conditioning units, trouser presses and televisions to major hotel chains such as the Marriott and Hilton. They also falsely claimed to be the preferred supplier of the Olympic village, ahead of the 2012 Games.

  https://www.sfo.gov.uk/2016/05/24/ponzi-fraudsters-sentenced-total-21-years/

• Operation Cent [C.C.C.] 2013

  Anti-corruption unit worldwide investigation re: bomb detection units

  Jonathan Higgs QC leading Jonathan Polnay represented a defendant in the much publicised Old Bailey trial involving the worldwide sale of "fake" bomb detection devices. Instructed by Gary Bloxsome of Blackfords LLP.

  BBC news report here.

• HMRC v Peter Storrie [Southwark] 2011

  Former chief executive of Portsmouth City Football Club accused of cheating the public revenue

  Natasha Wong QC was junior trial counsel for acquitted former chief executive of Portsmouth City Football Club accused of cheating the public revenue. Instructed by Paul Martin & Co.