Cases
Cases
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Op Tablemaking [Snaresbrook] 2025
Cyber-criminals selling service to circumvent bank security checks
Sam Willis prosecuted three cyber-criminals for building and running a website used by fraudsters to circumvent bank security checks.
Investigated by the National Crime Agency, the website, called OTP.Agency, was a tool designed to be used by fraudsters to convince their victims to hand over the one-time-passcodes sent by banks when accessing online banking or when making purchases.
Logs and messages recovered during the investigation indicated that the website had been used by over 3,000 fraudsters to make over 66,000 calls to potential victims between March and October of 2021.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1w728ypzqxo.amp
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2024/09/owners-of-1-time-passcode-theft-service-plead-guilty/
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Operation Spree [Southwark Crown Court] 2024
Cyber Fraud
Multi-handed prosecution of a cyber fraud OCG involved in de-frauding HMRC. Phoebe was led prosecution counsel in the 6 week trial at Southwark Crown Court.
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Operation Caliadne [Woolwich] 2022
EncroChat cocaine supply conspiracy
Sam Willis, led by William Davis, prosecuted this EncroChat OCG who were involved in the supply of 30+ kilos of cocaine around London. The case was in the first wave of prosecutions following the infiltration of the Encro network, and the trial involved several admissibility arguments relating to the source, integrity and reliability of the data. A further complicating factor was that the lead defendant’s wife was a serving Met Police officer.
Sam was instructed by the CPS London Complex Casework Unit.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/b3a210dc-7986-11ed-bcd8-855e06175970
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Operation Localizer [Kingston] 2021
Seven-handed conspiracy to supply cocaine from London to Brighton (EncroChat material)
Sam Willis, led by Ben Holt, prosecuted this criminal enterprise to transport large quantities of cocaine from London to Brighton for onward distribution. The evidence came from call data records, a surveillance operation, and 'EncroChat' Operation Venetic material, which all had to be carefully presented at trial.
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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.
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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.
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Operation Polarity [C.C.C.] 2017
Teenager who masterminded Cyber crime attacks upon Sony & Microsoft
Jonathan Polnay prosecuted this teenager who set up a computer hacking business that caused chaos worldwide. Adam Mudd was 16 when he created the Titanium Stresser program, which carried out more than 1.7m attacks on websites including Minecraft, Xbox Live and Microsoft and TeamSpeak, earning the equivalent of more than £386,000 in US dollars and bitcoins from selling the program to cybercriminals.
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R v. Burton [Southwark] 2017
Radio Host accused of trolling a Muslim politician with Islamophobic tweets
Ben Temple prosecuted this right wing radio host whom was jailed for vile Islamophobic' trolling of anti-racism campaigner.
News reports below
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R v L [Maidstone MC] 2017
Defendant accused of creating indecent images on various electronic devices.
Natasha Wong QC acted for retired defendant accused of creating indecent images on various electronic devices. Instructed by Kingsley Napley.
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R v. S [Chelmsford] 2016
Cyber Crime
Senghin Kong represented a defendant charged with Cyber Crime offences following a lengthy investigation involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Crime Agency and the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit. The Crown’s case was that the defendant had bought and used the “Blackshades” Remote Access Tool but also sold Distributed Denial of Service (“DDoS”) tools on hundreds of occasions in the course of a sophisticated commercial operation. The case involved highly technical forensic computer evidence and complex financial analysis of a multitude of bank accounts and Paypal accounts which were said to be used to launder criminal proceeds through an international network of “mules”. Following negotiation with the Crown, the defendant tendered acceptable pleas to half the counts on the indictment, on an agreed basis. This, combined with mitigation, resulted in a suspended sentence. Instructed by Sternberg Reed Solicitors
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R v. CO [Croydon] 2016
PayPal Fraud
Irshad Sheikh acted in this prosecution of a multi-million pound fraud on PayPal where the defendant played a leading role in an organised crime network perpetrating this substantial fraud. The defendant, with others, was able to compromise about two hundred PayPal customers’ accounts by gaining access to their security details, causing a multimillion pound loss to the company.
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R v. Al-Bassam & ors [Southwark] 2013
Lulszec Hacking trial
Anthony Orchard QC defended in this complex conspiracy to commit cyber attacks on organisations such as Sony,EA sports, News International and the Serious and Organised Crime Agency. Mr Orchard's client was the only to receive a non-custodial sentence.
