Region Area

Barristers

Kevin Dent KC

Kevin Dent KC

Work Department

Kevin practises in business crime, crime, asset recovery, confiscation and related financial crime proceedings and professional discipline & regulatory law.

Position

A highly persuasive advocate with a calm, measured, yet robust courtroom manner. Since taking silk in 2019, Kevin has built upon his heavyweight practice in the fields of financial and serious crime.

Kevin has considerable experience leading in cases of serious and organised crime, terrorist finance, large-scale drugs conspiracies, modern slavery and serious sexual offences including those against children and offences of homicide.

Appointed to the Serious Fraud Office's (SFO) panel of Queen's Counsel, Kevin is often instructed in financial cases involving multiple vulnerable victims and is a sought-after leader in large-scale economic crime including those involving Encrochat encrypted communications evidence, cybercrime, investment fraud, bribery and corruption, revenue evasion and money laundering.

With an established practice within the field of professional regulation and discipline, Kevin deploys in the regulatory field the expertise gained from criminal cases involving medical professionals, particularly where issues of probity/dishonesty are at the fore.

Equally at home in both big trial settings and advising in conference, Kevin enjoys steering individuals and corporates, local authorities and government departments alike through the legal complexities of diverse matters such as drafting anti-money laundering policies, corporate COVID-loan applications, RIPA authorisations, offences of marching in uniform under the Public Order Act 1936 and issues of freedom of expression, education catchment area fraud, responding to Freedom of Information requests, and GDPR issues.

An adherent of early proactive intervention in proceedings, Kevin is particularly adept in helping those under investigation for serious matters draft detailed and persuasive representations on charge to investigative authorities.

Kevin advises on private prosecutions and accepts Direct Access instructions.

In addition to his heavyweight criminal practice, as a lawyer with a passion for justice and the rule of law, Kevin is involved in Human Rights work for both individuals and NGOs such as PEN International, including ground-breaking international ‘Magnitsky’ sanctions applications on behalf of lawyers subject to human rights violations, evaluation of indictments according to fair rights standards, overseas trial monitoring and drafting Article 36 Third Party submissions for the ECtHR. Kevin regularly publishes articles to raise profile for underrepresented and serious subjects and has, for instance, campaigned for the release of a prominent abducted Bangladeshi lawyer.

Career

Kevin was called to the Bar in 1991.

Kevin is appointed to the Serious Fraud Office's (SFO) panel of Queen's Counsel and, prior to taking silk, his experience and expertise were reflected in the following appointments: Level 4 advocate on the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Unified Prosecution List, the specialist Central Fraud Group Panel, Counter-Terrorism panel, Serious Crime Group panel and Proceeds of Crime Panel. Appointed to Band 'C' (10 years call and above) on the General Dental Council’s (GDC) panel of advocates.

Business Crime & Financial Regulation

For over a decade, Kevin has been leading in cases of serious fraud and money laundering. Reflecting this expertise, he is appointed to the Serious Fraud Office's (SFO) panel of Queen's Counsel and, prior to taking silk, was a specialist advocate on the Serious Fraud Division’s Fraud Panel at Level 4.

He is naturally talented in grappling with financial details, in order to provide incisive strategic advice, then presenting complex cases to juries in a way that is clear and powerful.

Kevin’s wide experience as a leader in complex financial crime includes ‘boiler room’ investment frauds, revenue evasion, vishing and courier fraud, frauds on institutional pension funds, insider fraud within companies, fraudulent trading, Ponzi investment schemes, multi-jurisdictional money laundering, cybercrime and organised benefit frauds.

Kevin has recently concluded leading in a 4-month trial for fraudulent trading and money laundering relating to £36Million’s worth of VER carbon credits sold as investments, focused both on both large numbers of individual investors and the underlying ‘clearing and settlement’ payment systems.

Kevin is also an experienced leader in bribery and corruption, including cases alleging corrupt sales of government land and procurement fraud.

Advising both individuals under investigation for financial crime and organisations seeking to determine whether wrongdoing has occurred within their domains, Kevin particularly enjoys providing effective early strategic advice.

Kevin is an established leader in criminal cases involving medical professionals including dentists, medical doctors and optometrists. Through this, he is aplomb in calling and cross-examining medical-legal experts, analysing medical records, liaising with parallel regulatory proceedings and navigating NHS regulations and patient confidentiality issues.

Kevin accepts instructions in Direct Access cases involving financial crime and also in private prosecutions.

Criminal Prosecutions - Private & Public

Prior to taking silk, Kevin’s wealth of experience prosecuting serious and organised crime was reflected in appointments as a specialist Level 4 advocate on both the CPS specialist Counter-Terrorism and Serious and Organised Crime Panels.

Recent and ongoing prosecution cases include those of modern slavery, conspiracy to murder, conspiracy to possess firearms, conspiracy to import drugs into prisons, unauthorised use of communications devices within prisons, internal fraud within a local authority and cases where Encrochat encrypted communications devices play a central role.

Kevin’s wide expertise in serious crime also includes terrorist financing, trading in firearms, drugs importations, serious sexual offences, serious violence and homicide.

With a wide experience of private prosecutions, Kevin enjoys steering both corporate clients and individuals at an early stage through the complex requirements of private prosecutions, including issues of LPP, disclosure obligations and the requirements of code for private prosecutors.

Criminal Defence

Kevin has a wealth of experience in serious and organised crime. He is ranked in the Legal 500 in Fraud, Crime.

He has wide experience defending in a wide variety of fields, including sexual offences, investment frauds, Ponzi frauds, fraud by medical professionals, procurement fraud, COVID-loan fraud, offences of serious violence and appeals cases.

With experience representing high net worth individuals with complex legal needs, Kevin has a particular reputation for guiding seemingly difficult cases of serious crime to successful conclusions through fine strategic judgement and unwavering determination.

In the field of sexual offending, Kevin has extensive experience of historic offences, particularly those involving children.

Asset Recovery, Civil Fraud & Confiscation

Ensuring financial recovery is embedded within case strategy, Kevin draws upon his considerable expertise in all aspects of restraint and confiscation, including cases involving assets held in Bitcoin and other crypto-currencies, corporate veil cases, 3rd-party interests, enforcement receivers, hidden and multiple jurisdiction assets, inadequacy, reconsideration of assets, intervening in matrimonial proceedings and applications under POCA to extend moratorium periods.

Kevin also has experience in First Tier Tribunal VAT MTIC cases.

Professional Discipline & Regulatory

Kevin has an established practice within the field of professional discipline, with particular emphasis on cases involving probity and fraud, drawing upon his ample experience of criminal cases involving medical professionals.

His wide experience includes cases involving; where a patient subsequently died, serious allegations where erasure is likely, parallel criminal and regulatory cases, serious dishonesty, want of integrity and where there are investigations with multiple regulators.

Notwithstanding a calm and positive approach, Kevin has a reputation within the field of professional discipline for forensic, and when required, rigorous cross-examination of both lay and expert witnesses.

Inquests & Inquiries

Kevin accepts instructions in relation to Public inquiries and inquests.

Memberships

Fraud Lawyers Association (FLA). Association of Regulatory & Disciplinary Lawyers (ARDL). Bar Human Rights Committee (BHRC).