Mark is a defence specialist.
He has a reputation for building a strong rapport with both lay and professional clients based on meticulous preparation, coupled with a direct no-nonsense approach both in and out of court.
He also a reputation for being able to get the best out of young and vulnerable defendants, including those on the autistic spectrum and clients suffering from mental incapacity and mental illness. His experience extends to cases where an intermediary was required.
Mark regularly appears in cases alleging Murder, Kidnap, Serious Violence, Firearms, Large-Scale Drugs Supply, and Offences of Dishonesty, including Large-Scale Fraud and Money Laundering Cases. He also defends in trials involving Serious Sexual Offences (including Historic Sex Cases).
He has particular experience in representing defendants charged with Causing Death by Dangerous Driving.
Mark is regularly privately instructed to advise on the merits of appeal on cases in which he was not originally instructed.
Mark Is Direct Access qualified.
Murder & Serious Violence
R v SM – Kingston Crown Court – Junior Counsel instructed for the first of two defendants charged with murder by stabbing following an attack with guns and knives by a group of whom the deceased was a member. Acquitted.
R v TL – Kingston Crown Court – Sole counsel for a defendant alleged to have carried out an unprovoked attack on two men with a machete on a high street in broad day light. He was charged with attempted murder and s18 GBH. Acquitted.
R v FD – Central Criminal Court – Junior Counsel instructed for one of four defendants charged with murder by stabbing.
R v JF – Central Criminal Court – Junior Counsel instructed for one of two defendants charged with murder by stabbing (subsequently acquitted in a retrial represented by different counsel).
R v IS – Central Criminal Court – Junior Counsel instructed for one of three defendants charged with offences including murder following an alleged gang “shoot out” in Northwest London.
R v RK – Sheffield Crown Court – Junior Counsel instructed for one of three defendants charge in relation to offences including murder in what is alleged to be a home invasion and gang related execution.
R v CIC – Southwark Crown Court - Sole counsel representing a defendant charged with perverting the course of justice (along with another and four defendants charged with murder) in relation his role in removing items from a property related to a ‘hit’ organised in gangland Sweden and carried out in a residential area of Battersea, London.
R v BP [2021]– Central Criminal Court – Junior Counsel instructed for one of six defendants alleged to have conspired to murder, whereby the victim was run down by one of two vehicles traveling in convoy and then stabbed multiple times. Acquitted following a successful application to dismiss.
R v RM – Central Criminal Court – Sole counsel instructed for one of two defendants charged attempted murder in relation to a shooting in the midst of a car chase in a London suburb during daylight hours. Acquitted
R v RBL – Central Criminal Court – Junior Counsel instructed for one of two defendants alleged to have robbed and murder a drug dealer by way of shooting. Captured on CCTV. ID not in issue. Acquitted
R v RN – Isleworth Crown Court – Junior Counsel instructed for a defendant charged in relation to a “one punch” murder. Following a successful submission of no case in relation to Murder, the defendant was acquitted by a jury of Manslaughter.
Fraud & Money Laundering
R v LF – St Albans Crown Court – Leading Counsel representing a defendant alleged to have participated in a complex fraud perpetrated by the employees of the two loser companies. Acquitted. His co-accused fled the jurisdiction before arrest and was the subject to an international arrest which was executed and awaits trial.
R v PS – Southwark Crown Court – Sole counsel representing one of ten defendants charged in relation to a multi-million-pound fraud where multiple companies were alleged to have been run by the defendants who described themselves as Independent Financial Advisers (IFA's) acting as legitimate brokers. No evidence offered prior to trial.
R v MM - Money Laundering – Southwark Crown Court – Junior Counsel instructed for one of three defendants charged with money laundering in excess of £36,000,000 through two Money Service Bureaus.
R v WMK – Money Laundering – Bristol Crown Court – Counsel instructed for the now sole defendant alleged to have laundered millions of pounds derived from prostitution and trafficking for the purpose of exploitation.
Drug Offences
R v RS – Leading Counsel - Conspiracy to Supply largely Class A Drugs in a conspiracy in which the OCG was said to be turning over £4m per week. Following submissions before the conclusion of the prosecution case, no further evidence offered.
R v AP – Bristol Crown Court – Sole Counsel representing a defendant closely connected to the the head of an Organised Crime Network (OCN) based in Bath. Evidence included material obtained via the exploitation of the encrochat phone network. The OCG was supplied by a Russian OCN based in London, purchasing and distributing cocaine at the wholesale values running into millions of pounds.
R v SCG - Leading Counsel - - Leading Counsel representing the second of eight defendants charged in relation to Operation Erant which targeted at an OCG involved in a conspiracy to supply multi-kilo quantities of cocaine across London, Bristol and the Southwest. Much of its activities were coordinated from prison via one of the senior members of the OCG.
R v MO – Conspiracy to Supply Class A Substances and Money Laundering – Manchester Crown Square – Leading Counsel - Instructed for the first of three defendants who is alleged to be the head of a local OCG and supplying hundreds of thousands of pounds of Class A Drugs weekly. Enchrochat Evidence is relied upon
R v FP – Production of A Class B Substance – Maidstone Crown Court - Counsel instructed for one of 13 defendants charged with conspiracy to produce cannabis on an industrial scale.
Firearms Offences
R v CB – Newcastle Crown Court - Leading Counsel representing one of eight-defendant it is alleged the defendants conspired to shoot the victim at his home address where he resided with his wife and two children.
R v DM – Firearms – Inner London Crown Court – Sole Counsel - Instructed for one of two defendants alleged to be in possession of firearms and ammunition (including a submachine gun) with intent to endanger life.
R v SO – Harrow Crown Court – Counsel instructed for one of six defendants alleged to have planned and carried out a home invasion and robbery with the use a firearm.
Other Serious Crime
R v RM – Leeds Crown Court – Sole counsel representing a 64-year-old man who was extradited to face trial in relation to a serious group attack on a police officer in 1980. His four co-accused had either pleaded or been found guilty. He absconded. Not guilty.
R v JMD – Snaresbrook Crown Court – Sole Counsel representing one of two defendants (amongst as many as 15 suspects) alleged of kidnaped, falsely imprisoned, stabbed (GBH) and blackmailed the brother of the victim. The victim was rescued following the intervention of specialist armed police following the recording of blackmail calls.
R v JA – Maidstone Crown Court – Counsel instructed for one of 23 defendants tried in relation to a riot at HMP Swaleside in December 2017.
Other Notable Cases
R v KD – Central Criminal Court – Junior Counsel instructed to represent the first of three defendants who were inmates within HMP Wormwood Scrubs and were alleged to have planned and carried out a fatal attack on a fourth inmate. Acquitted.
R v BD – Central Criminal Court – Junior Counsel instructed to represent one of two defendants alleged to have been part of a group of thirteen or more males who embarked on a series of violent attacks across parts of central and east London. A rampage that left two young men dead and another seriously wounded. Five separate incidents were identified that took place in under two hours.
R v CM – Preston Crown Court – Sole Counsel instructed to represent one of eight defendants alleged to have been the central figure and organiser) following a police investigation into an international operation trafficking women who had been brought into the country for the purposes of prostitution. These women were transferred between brothels situated in northern and midland towns and cities.
R v LB – Croydon Crown Court – Junior Counsel instructed to represent one of six defendants charged with possession of explosives, firearms, component parts of firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
Criminal Barristers Association
Fraud Lawyers Association
Middle Temple
Middle Temple Harmsworth Scholar 2001