New Park Court Chambers

Crime, Regulatory, Civil

Nicholas de la Poer KC specialises in criminal law and regulatory work. He is described as “a good operator” and “phenomenal barrister”.

Since September 2020, Nick has been committed to the oral evidence hearings of the Manchester Arena Inquiry as part of the Counsel to the Inquiry team.

And for the majority of 2018 Nick was instructed by Addleshaw Goddard to attend the Grenfell Tower Inquiry into the deaths of 72 people on 14th June 2017.

Between 2015 and 2020, as a junior, Nick was instructed in a significant number of cases involving crimes of homicide or in which fatalities had occurred. These include murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to murder and manslaughter, as well as cases involving deaths which were said to have been caused by breaches of the health and safety legislation.

Crime

Nick prosecutes and defends. As a junior he held the highest grade of CPS instructed advocate, Grade 4, qualifying him to prosecute the most serious cases in the Crown Court. He also appeared on the Crown Prosecution Service’s specialist fraud list, specialist proceeds of crime list and specialist counter-terrorism list.

He has experience of being involved in the most serious cases in the criminal canon including murder, manslaughter, rape and serious sexual assault, fraud and money laundering involving sums in excess of £1 million, drug trafficking, people trafficking, kidnap and blackmail.

Within the criminal law Nick has a particular interest in fraud and proceeds of crime cases. He has been described as “one of the few genuine confiscation experts on Circuit” (Legal 500 2012).

Nick is regularly instructed in cases post-conviction to consider appeals against conviction and sentence, post-conviction to deal with proceeds of crime and post confiscation order to consider appeal and/or variation.

Regulatory Criminal

Nick’s interest in regulatory matters has led to him being instructed both for the prosecution and the defence in the Crown Court in cases involving fatalities in the workplace.

He has had experience of being instructed to prosecute and to defend cases involving local authorities, the Health and Safety Executive and the Environment Agency.

He also receives instructions in cases involving landlord obligations, waste disposal and fire safety.

During 2020 and 2021 Nick continued to undertake advisory work in relation to companies under investigation within the fire safety and waste disposal regulatory regimes.

Regulatory Professional

Nick has also appeared before the Medical Practitioner’s Tribunal and has been approved for Fitness to Practise work for many years. His work in the MPT has provided him with extensive opportunity to be involved in cases involving medical experts.

Nick has experience of the Solicitor’s Disciplinary Tribunal. He has appeared in an appeal from the SDT to the High Court.

Nick has experience of representing police officers in misconduct proceedings.

Nick also has experience of representing a member of the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP).

Public Inquiries / Inquests

Nick is instructed in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry for one of the Core Participants: tRIIO. He is being led by Paul Greaney KC. His role required him to attend on every sitting day during Phase 1 of the Inquiry, which has occupied the majority of 2018. tRIIO was also directly involved in the evidence during Module 3 of Phase 2.

From September 2019 Nick was part of the Counsel to the Inquiry team for the Manchester Arena Inquiry. The Inquiry is investigating the circumstances of the terrorist attack on 22nd May 2017 which killed 22 people. As part of this role Nick has called a large number of witnesses and participated in related High Court work. Nick conducted the interview of the convicted terrorist, Hashem Abedi, in which Hashem Abedi confessed to participation in the bombing.

The Manchester Arena Inquiry is investigating a broad range of areas. These include: counter-terrorism policing and the work of the Security Service; emergency response to a terrorist incident; security at private venues; and, radicalisation into Islamist Extremism. Nick’s role has required him to play a significant part in the preparation, marshalling and calling of evidence in all of these areas.

Nick also accepts instructions to represent interested persons in inquests and has experience of Article 2 compliant proceedings. He was instructed to provide advice to a person concerned with becoming an Interested Party in the third of the Deep Cut Inquests.

Court of Appeal, Criminal Division

Nick has experience of successful appeals against conviction, sentence and confiscation orders in front of the Court of Appeal, Criminal Division. Nick also has experience of responding to terminating ruling appeals and an application to quash an acquittal.

High Court

Nick has also been instructed to conduct judicial reviews and appeals by way of case stated to the High Court. Nick also has experience of the procedure under s.36 of the Inquiries Act 2005.

CPS Level 4 Prosecutor CPS Specialist POCA Panel (Level 3) CPS Counter Terrorism Panel (Level 4) CPS Serious Crime Panel (Level 4) Specialist Regulatory Advocate in Health & Safety and Environmental Law (List B) Panellist for British Fencing Disciplinary Panel Registered Pupil Supervisor