Luke Ponte

Luke prosecutes and defends in the most serious and complex criminal cases. He is a grade 4 prosecutor for the CPS and on the specialist prosecution panels for serious crime, fraud and the proceeds of crime. He is a highly effective trial advocate, whether alone or as a leading (or led) junior. He was sole prosecution counsel in the successful prosecution of Arthur Collins, who threw acid in a crowded nightclub causing serious injury to 16 victims. He is used to the particular pressures of acting in high-profile trials, such as: Stephen Port (Grindr serial killer); Constance Briscoe (barrister accused of perverting the course of justice); James Warnock (cold case 1982 murder and rape); LulzSec (notorious computer hackers).  He has particular expertise in financial crime (including bribery and corruption) fraud and the proceeds of crime. He was junior counsel for the first defendant in the Euribor fraud proceedings.  He is recognized as a leading advocate in the field of cybercrime, having been instructed in a series of hacking/dark web trials, and is familiar with the challenges of presenting complex computer evidence at trial.  He has very considerable experience representing police officers and other professionals, both in disciplinary proceedings and in Inquests.

London School of Economics (History); Harvard University (Special Student Programme, Bar Vocational Course, Everard van Heyden Foundation Prize).