187 Chambers

Primarily a defence practitioner, Matthew has experience in all areas of serious crime. He has been instructed in his own name in cases of: attempted murder; multiple cash-in-transit armed robberies; aggravated burglary; serious sexual offences including: rape; assault by penetration; child pornography including multiple level 5 images; firearms offences; large-scale drugs dealing, importation and cultivation; money-laundering; trademarks and copyright infringement cases and complex fraud where his knowledge of financial markets is a valuable asset. He has expertise and is frequently instructed in road traffic matters for privately-paying clients. He also specialises in prison law and has conducted adjudications and parole board hearings for serving prisoners including those convicted of murder. As a prosecutor he is able to conduct a wide range of criminal cases but he has developed a particular specialism in private local authority prosecutions including major multi-handed housing benefit frauds, licensing matters and confiscation. Cases: R v F and Others (2012-2013) – Led junior for the defence in 11 count conspiracy to rob cash-in-transit custodians over a 4 year period. The case involved counter-allegations of planting of evidence by the Flying Squad and complex and cutting-edge legal argument to do with the admissibility of partial profile DNA evidence; R v B and Others (2012) – Defence counsel (junior alone) for one of nine defendants in multi-million pound conspiracy to steal and ‘recycle’ BT copper cable on an industrial and almost unprecedented scale; R v B (2012) Attempted murder (junior alone) – Currently instructed as defence counsel in: R v M and Others (2013) – Three defendant gang rape (junior alone); R v K and Others (2013) Defending fifth defendant (of 9) in sophisticated and far-reaching international money-laundering case involving £tens of millions in an operation spanning the UK, Iran and the UAE (led junior); R v W (2011) – Defence counsel in conspiracy to import 1kg of cocaine. Case subject to Attorney General’s Reference and cross-appeal against conviction; R v B (2011) – Defence counsel in s. 18 wounding involving complex hearsay argument to do with admissibility of ‘partial’ Facebook messages. Crown conceded argument following service of defence skeleton arguments and case resolved by plea to lesser charges; R v E (2010) – Defence counsel in complex fraud involving the alleged creation of false trading and credit accounts, including falsified Companies House documents and use of bona fide company details and double accounting; R v B (2010) – Defence counsel first on the indictment in five-handed aggravated burglary revolving around drugs transactions. Case involved complex phone evidence and expert cell site analysis; R v N & A (2010) – Prosecution counsel in case involving supply of 500g of cocaine. Both defendants duly convicted; R v G (2010) – Successful private prosecution for local authority in case of trademarks and copyright infringement involving tens of thousands of pirate DVDs; R v W (2009) – Successful private prosecution for a London local authority of a hospital doctor for fraudulent use of a disabled parking badge. The doctor was privately represented by an eminent QC; R v H and Others (2008) – A case involving the sexual assault by penetration and filming of an unconscious victim in the presence of her young children. Junior counsel for one of four defendants. The case drew much national media coverage following the suicide of the victim before the case came to trial; R v M (2008) – Defence counsel in case of robbery and s. 18 wounding of elderly village post-mistress. The case involved complex expert evidence notably DNA analysis and facial mapping; R v S (2008) – Defence counsel in case of making indecent sexual images of children (up to level 5). Particularly unusual and difficult features of the case were the age of the defendant at just 18 and the volume of prosecution evidence, which ran to several thousand pages; Buckley & Anor v Director of Public Prosecutions [2008] EWHC 136 (Admin) (14th January 2008) – Held that sequential events on one day could be broken down into different ‘episodes’ for the purpose of finding conduct on more than one occasion sufficient to justify a conviction for harassment contrary to sections 2(1) and (2) of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997; AG’s Ref No 40 of 2011, R v Lee Williams, [2011] EWCA Crim 2126 – Case in which the defendant’s suspended sentence for his part in the importation of nearly 1kg of cocaine was increased to three and a half years following an Attorney General’s Reference. LJ Pitchford commented: ‘I don’t know what spell you were casting in the Isleworth Crown Court, Mr Morgan, but this was a remarkable sentence, was it not?’ (www.dailymail.co.uk).

Fluent French and German.

South Eastern Circuit; Criminal Bar Association.

BA (Hons) King’s College London; CPE City University; BVC Inns of Court School of Law; Sheldon Scholarship from Lincolns Inn (Pupillage); Sir Thomas More Bursary from Lincolns Inn (BVC).

Cricket, skiing, theatre, art, literature, spending time with his family.