New Park Court Chambers

Crime, Regulatory

Helen Chapman has a mixed crime and regulatory practice, with a particular interest in cases involving heavy-weight complex crime, terrorism and serious sexual offences. Helen has successfully prosecuted and defended regulatory offences for many regulatory bodies and also defended individuals.

Helen is a well-regarded defence advocate, noted for her sensitivity to vulnerable clients and robust cross-examination. She is meticulous and effective with a personable style and an easy manner.

Crime

Helen prosecutes and defends the most serious cases either as a leading junior, sole junior or led junior. Fraud Crime provides the mainstay of Helen’s practice and she also has particular expertise in cases involving Rape and Serious Sexual Offences. She is a Grade 4 prosecutor and is an accredited member of the CPS Rape Panel. Helen is a specialist panel advocate for the Counter Terrorism Unit.

• Led in a six week trial defending of the owner of a limousine company who was accused of raping and sexually assaulting young women and girls in his limousines.
• Led in a multi-handed grooming trial arising out of investigations into the grooming of girls by a gang of males in Rochdale.
• Led junior in the defence of a woman who stabbed her husband to death in the course of an argument at Christmas. The first jury were unable to reach verdicts and the matter was tried for a second time. Able to persuade a judge to bail the Defendant, which is unusual in cases of this gravity.
• Instructed in a 6 week immigration fraud (D2).
• Instructed in two lengthy frauds, one as D1 in a 9 handed fraud.
• Instructed for second defendant in multi-handed credit fraud. The case was paper heavy with reams of telephone records disclosed mid-way through the case. Client was the only defendant to be acquitted.
• Instructed for first defendant in multi-handed NHS fraud. The case featured two QE witnesses, heavy volumes of invoices and financial documentation and cut-throat defences from several of the co-accused.

Regulatory

Helen has successfully prosecuted and defended regulatory offences for many regulatory bodies. She has also defended individuals in respect of regulatory offences. Helen has dealt with expert evidence including medical evidence as to causation, engineering and computing evidence, and forensic accountancy evidence.

Notable regulatory cases:

• Prosecuted a Trading Standards case of a cowboy builder who had targeted the elderly. Progress was being frustrated by persistent submissions from defence counsel. Dealt with arguments as to abuse, disclosure, admissibility and the form of the indictment. The Defence capitulated, and the case resolved successfully by way of guilty pleas.
• Instructed as a led junior prosecuting a substantial care-home fraud. Helen conducted advocacy in respect of the regulatory aspects of the case, drafting and resisting the abuse of process arguments. The case was a NHS investigation and Police investigation ultimately prosecuted by the CPS resulting in disclosure difficulties. Responsible for the compilation of the evidence.
• Instructed to prosecute breaches of Waste Management Regulations in the Magistrates’ Court she secured convictions against 5 defendants in person. The Defendants raised points of admissibility, limitation, the appointment of Mackenzie friends, interpreters and issues relating to the bad character of a prosecution witness. Secured convictions in the face of hostile and vexatious litigants.
• Assisting with preparation of gross neg, corp manslaughter and s.2/3 HSWA 1974 offences. Gross negligence manslaughter following a fall from height at a warehouse in Birmingham. Issues as to the victim’s employment status researched and prepared skeleton arguments relying on the case of Pola. Drafted an indictment with sections 2 and 3 as alternatives. Prepared a sentencing bundle and Friskies schedule in line with F. Howe & Son.
• Instructed as a led junior for a financial advisor prosecuted for regulatory offences under FSMA 2000 and a multi-handed fraud amounting to over £1m. Prepared legal arguments about the correct application of the relevant statutory instrument. She conducted advocacy throughout the trial in conjunction, including cross examination of a forensic accountant.