Mark McKone KC > Park Square Barristers > Leeds, England > Barrister Profile

Mark McKone KC

0113 2459763

Work Department

Criminal

Position

Mark McKone practises exclusively in criminal law, appearing for the defence or the prosecution. His fields of specialism include serious sexual offences, fraud, and serious violence. He is a CPS Level 4 Prosecutor and serves on rape and serious-crime panels.

He is involved mainly in serious sexual offences and homicide or serious violence, including where very young children have been seriously injured and the case turns on complicated expert evidence.

Mark has accountancy experience and is also involved in fraud and money laundering. He has just finished a case where millions of pounds of drugs money was ‘cleaned’ through sham asbestos companies.

He is currently involved in a large scale drugs operation [Gale park] with numerous multi-handed trials taking place in 2018 and 2019, involving significant telephone evidence. He has been involved in huge drug importation by boat and plane cases.

Mark has defended and prosecuted many professional people, such as teachers, care workers, scout masters, priests, Choir masters, nurses, physiotherapists, an international rugby player and prison officers charged with serious sexual offences and some violence.

He has also successfully defended a number of young students charged with serious sexual offences following drunken nights out. Many of these cases, involve allegations which go back decades. He has also dealt with many of these cases as a Recorder (part-time Judge). 

Mark has a reputation for very early preparation, for being very hard working and for being approachable. He appreciates the importance of an early advice on evidence, including using the right expert and of conferences, so that all involved in the case are kept informed and able to contribute to the case.

Mark appreciates the importance of written advocacy as well as spoken advocacy and he has much experience of preparing written documents which will persuade the Judge to allow cross-examination on bad character and previous sexual history, where this appropriate. Sometimes the pre-trial written work, especially agreed facts from unused material- has persuaded the prosecution not to continue.

Career

Call 1988, Silk 2021

Appointments:
Grade 4 Prosecutor

2012
Recorder of Crown Court

Memberships

North Eastern CircuitCriminal Bar Association

Education

1987
University of Leeds LLB (Hons)

1988
Inns of Court School of Law, London