Katie Wheatley

Crime, Fraud and Regulatory.

Partner, Head of Crime, Fraud and Regulatory.

Katie has vast experience in many areas of criminal law. She acts for and advises individual clients and organisations about a range of criminal and regulatory law issues, including investigations and prosecutions. Katie advises in connection with investigations and prosecutions for allegations of serious fraud financial and business crime, including conspiracy to defraud, bribery and corruption, insider dealing and money laundering.

She also acts for and advises employees, directors trustees and organisations in connection with allegations and investigations and prosecutions of business crime, including corporate manslaughter, gross negligence and unlawful act manslaughter, Health and Safety breaches, theft and assault. She advises in connection with individual liability for allegations of criminal misconduct in the workplace and criminal liability of organisations for the acts of their employees.

Katie also has special expertise in private prosecutions. She has established a particularly strong reputation for advising journalists and media organisations, especially in investigations relating to their work, including arrests, searches, production orders, protection of journalist material, whistleblowing and allegations of breaches of the Official Secrets Act, whistle-blowers or undercover operations which have attracted police interest or attention. She regularly advises about the intersection of the criminal law with the work of journalists and acts in respect of investigations and prosecutions for breach of court reporting restrictions.

Katie also acts in criminal cases involving allegations of serious general crime including murder and manslaughter. She has special experience in advising in connection with allegations that relate to end of life decisions such as encouraging and assisting suicide and 'mercy killings.'

She acts for individuals and organisations who are designated Interested Parties at Inquests in circumstances where a person’s death is unexplained or is believed to have occurred as a result of a criminal act. In addition, Katie acts for landlords in criminal and regulatory cases involving allegations of breaches of regulations relating to properties, including houses of multiple occupations, fire safety, planning and tree preservation.