Bark&co

Serious Crime, Fraud, VAT and Tax, POCA.

Senior Solicitor 

Particular experience in defending cases of serious crime, fraud, corporate and commercial crime, tax offences, and POCA. Acted for clients in several high profile cases brought by the SFO, FCA (FSA), HMRC, CPS, NHS, and Environment Agency.

Joined Bark&Co in 2004.

Notable cases include:

R v RT – Central Criminal Court & Supreme Court 

Represented RT in dismissal of charges of torture arising from the Liberian Civil War in 1990. This was a complex case involving historical allegations and high profile issues of domestic and international law including an interlocutory appeal to the Supreme Court regarding interpretation of s.134 Criminal Justice Act 1988.

R v B – Operation Borzoi - Blackfriars Crown Court

Defending multi-million pound confiscation proceedings for B convicted of a money laundering conspiracy regarding the evasion of tax on alcohol imports. A benefit of £61.5m is claimed by the Prosecution.

R v O – Bristol Crown Court

Acted for O in his acquittal of conspiracy to defraud and to handle stolen goods arising from the payment of a reward by an insurance company for the recovery of paintings valued at £1.5m stolen from members of the Bulmers cider family.   

R v S – Central Criminal Court

Acted for S, a former professional footballer, in his trial and re-trial in which he was acquitted of allegations of money laundering and converting criminal property.

R v S – Operation Byte - Sheffield Crown Court

Defended S in proceedings described as the ‘first of its type’ under the Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004 arising from S obtaining gangmaster licences using a false identity and also offences of mortgage fraud. Represented S in confiscation proceedings following conviction in which the Prosecution sought a benefit of £13.7m.

R v D – Gloucester Crown Court

D, a management consultant, was charged with fraudulent evasion of VAT, cheat on the Revenue, and fraud on the NHS regarding consultancy services provided to the NHS. Obtained acquittal of all charges after 3 trials.

R v FH – Southwark Crown Court

Represented FH, a barrister, acquitted of conspiring with C to pervert the course of justice. These allegations arose from libel proceedings brought by C, a renowned international cricketer, against Lalit Modi.

R v SM – Gibraltar Crown Court

This high profile case was the longest ever criminal trial in Gibraltar involving the defrauding of millions of pounds from clients of the law firm Marrache & Co with losses of around £40m. The case was tried by the Judge alone after the jury was dismissed for jury tampering. Represented SM who was the financial director of the firm.

R v W – Southwark Crown Court

Acted for W in defending charges of conspiracy to defraud in a £27.5m ‘boiler room’ fraud spanning 10 countries.

R v R – Operation Inertia - Kingston Crown Court

Defended R, owner of Future Communications (UK) Ltd and Unique Distribution Ltd, in his acquittal of charges of conspiracy to cheat the revenue of VAT of around £120m from trading in mobile telephones. Operation Inertia was described as one of the largest and most complex investigations of a contra-trading MTIC carousel fraud.