Largest and most prolific team of expert criminal law barristers on the Western circuit
Tom Horder and Jodie Mittell's criminal law barristers team at 3PB rightly enjoys a formidable reputation and its barristers are instructed in complex high-profile cases on the Western and other Circuits. Building upon a great tradition that has seen criminal law being practised at 3 Paper Buildings for over 100 years, we have a large and market leading team of silks and juniors, backed by a highly regarded team of specialist criminal clerks.
Legal 500 lists that 3PB’s Criminal team is “the monopoly on the Western Circuit," and possessed "great strength in depth" The criminal team is "An excellent and well-respected set, one of the foremost sets on the Western Circuit." and offers “an impressive array of Criminal practitioners.” The independent legal survey ranks both 3PB's Crime team and Business and Regulatory Crime (incl. Health and Safety) in the Top Tier, adding that "3PB 'is one of the forefront chambers in Western Circuit and a has a well-deserved reputation for quality representation for both prosecution and defence." ‘The range and depth of counsel in this set is ideal, allowing an almost bespoke tailoring of counsel and client fit,’ members are frequently instructed in “matters ranging from serious sexual offences to terrorism. The team represents an array of defendants as well as the CPS and other prosecuting authorities.” Chambers & Partners reports that 3PB is “well respected for its excellent breadth and depth of advocates," as well as its “handling of high-profile cases involving sexual abuse, drugs charges and violent crime.” 3PB Barristers houses "various heavyweight counsel able to do the entire range of cases". The team regularly undertakes work relating to crimes of the utmost gravity, including homicides, terror offences and large-scale drugs conspiracies. Regulatory criminal matters and cases involving both recent and historic sexual offences are also key areas of strength for the set, and members have experience acting for both the prosecution and the defence.
As a specialist criminal barristers chambers we have particular expertise in regulatory criminal offences, receiving instructions from government agencies, local authorities, businesses, insurers and private individuals. Our reputation has also been recently highlighted by the former head of chambers Nigel Lickley KC being appointed as a Circuit Judge at the Central Criminal Court and 3PB being awarded a certificate of congratulations from the Chief Constable of Hampshire.
With offices in London, Birmingham, Bristol, Bournemouth, Oxford and Winchester all equipped with modern conferencing and video link facilities, we are able to provide a comprehensive and professional service to all.
We welcome direct instructions from both businesses and members of the public under the direct access scheme and are able to offer bespoke criminal law barrister services and fee structures to private clients unable or unwilling to access public funding.
Recent cases include:
- R-v-Higgins - high profile historic sexual offences case involving Southampton FC youth coach.
- Cheeki Rafiki - 4 sailors lost on a sailing yacht in the Atlantic. Prosecution for failure to properly maintain the vessel resulting in the worse consequences.
- Operation Endorse - multi handed revenge shooting by London drug dealers against a rival Portsmouth gang.
- R v Kevin Downton - case regarding the murder of businessman Guy Hedger.
- Huntingdon terror plot - Two defendants extradited from the Netherlands, sentenced for their part in a blackmail that stemmed from a campaign involving animal rights extremism, concluded in 2018.
- Metropolitan Police drug operation - resulted in a Hampshire prosecution that conclude with total sentence of 24 and a half years. for the traffickers
- Large scale importation of firearms in the Midlands - Multi handed conspiracy involved dozens of guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
- R v Abukaber - representing the defendant charged with the use of acid during a robbery involving A drugs
- HSE-v-Southern Gas - High profile health and safety prosecution, resulting from a breach of gas resulting in a large explosion. Company fines £1.2m
Stuart Pringle is the Group's Practice Director. His secure email address is [email protected] . The group's practice management team can be reached at [email protected]. Additional contact details below.
Our Crime Barristers...
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3PB crime and regulatory barrister Rebecca McKnight’s client was accused of making threats towards two individuals, one of whom had acted as a witness in a case involving an acquaintance of the defendant. They were also accused of offering money in exchange for the case being dropped against this acquaintance. Rebecca’s client said this had simply not happened and they knew nothing about a case involving this other individual. Since the accusation her client had...
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3PB's Crime barrister Jodie Mittell acted for the Crown, led by Adam Vaitilingam KC, in a five-handed murder trial. The trial, at Winchester Crown Court, lasted eight weeks and concluded earlier this month with the jury unanimously convicting three defendants of murder and the other two of manslaughter. Two further defendants had already pleaded guilty to conspiracy to rob. The Crown's case was that the seven men had together planned a robbery. The five trial...
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Nick Cotter and Graham Gilbert successfully prosecute organised crime gang in major phone fraud case
3PB's crime and regulatory barristers Nick Cotter and Graham Gilbert acted for the Crown in prosecuting an organised crime gang who defrauded major phone companies out of over £400,000 - seeing four of the five fraudsters jailed for a combined total of 11 years with the fifth, who admitted his part in the fraud conspiracy, due to appear for sentencing at a later date. The fraudsters all pleaded guilty at Portsmouth Crown Court to defrauding...
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3PB are delighted to announce that crime and regulatory barrister Gemma White has been appointed by Robert Courts KC MP HM Solicitor General, to the Treasury Counsel Monitoree Scheme, for a period of 3 years from 1 April 2024. Treasury Counsel are a team of specialist advocates who prosecute many of the most serious and complex cases in the country, and advise and appear on behalf of the Law Officers and other government departments. Advocates...
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3PB's crime and regulatory barrister Nicholas Cotter (pictured here), led by Mark Wyeth KC, has just completed a three-month trial at the Central Criminal Court in which his client was acquitted of conspiracy to murder The client was alleged to be involved in a gangland shooting in a nightclub, which was indicted at the outset as a conspiracy to murder. Following trial, the client was found guilty of a firearms offence but acquitted of all...
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3PB's criminal defence barrister Nick Robinson's client AO was charged with Attempted Murder following an altercation in which he stabbed a fellow Afghan national twice. At the time AO was aged 17 years, and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder due to his experiences in Afghanistan. The case had international ramifications as the defendant, who had been trafficked to the UK, fled to Europe after the offence, and was arrested and interviewed in Salzburg before being...
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3PB crime barrister Thomas Acworth represented DB, a vulnerable man with serious health issues, who was charged with conspiracy to transfer prohibited weapons and conspiracy to transfer ammunition. Together with others, DB was said to have converted legal, blank-firing pistols into operational, lethal handguns. The handguns were then supplied to other organised criminal groups around the country. Some were used in gangland shootings. At sentence, HHJ Real accepted Thomas’ ‘focused and realistic’ submissions about DB’s role...
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Welcome to 3PB's crime law newsletter, bringing you news and analysis from our team. Edited by Oliver Hirsch, with analysis from Jonathan Underhill on POCA applications; Olivia McGonigle on the case of ADG & BIJ v Rex [2023] EWCA Crim 1309; Jack Felvus on procedural errors in the transfer of proceedings and Paul Patterson on the case of R v Watson [2023] EWCA Crim 960.
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3PB are delighted to announce that employment barrister Matthew Curtis and criminal law barrister, Berenice Mulvanny (pictured here) have been appointed part-time Deputy District Judges - to officiate on the Western Circuit (to hear civil cases), and in the Magistrates Courts respectively. Berenice was called to the Bar in 2009. She is a specialist practitioner instructed on the most serious offences on the Western Circuit, including murder, rape and other serious sexual offences, fraud and...
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3PB's crime and regulatory barrister Jonathan Underhill’s client CW was charged with a serious allegation of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH) following a violent incident inside his own home in 2021. CW raised, and maintained, self-defence at trial. Over the course of careful and decisive cross examination, the complainant admitted not having told the complete truth to the police; accepting that he had failed to mention his own consumption of Class...
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Four 3PB barristers secure acquittals for two defendants in major Conspiracy to Supply cocaine trial
Four 3PB criminal law barristers - Nick Robinson, Tom Evans, David Jenkins and Oliver Hirsch (pictured top left to bottom right) - have successfully defended two clients in a major Conspiracy to Supply Class A drugs trial, following Operation Krill which was an extensive surveillance operation lasting more than a year. Three individuals were charged with Conspiracy to Supply cocaine and two stood trial in December 2023. AD was alleged to have been the head...
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3PB's specialist criminal defence barrister Nick Robinson, pictured here, has successfully defended four different clients in four separate Crown Court trials during January 2024. AC was unanimously acquitted of a Sexual Assault. AC was experiencing symptoms of bipolar disorder and paranoid schizophrenia. He was being pursued by a group of youths when he hid behind a tree in a public park. After a short time, AC approached a 7-year old girl, and asked for her...
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Recommendations
Chambers UK 2022
Client service:
3PB Barristers houses a strong bench of dedicated criminal barristers, noted for their expert handling of a wide range of high-profile and complex cases. The team regularly undertakes work relating to crimes of the utmost gravity, including homicides, terror offences and large-scale drugs conspiracies. Regulatory criminal matters and cases involving both recent and historic sexual offences are also key areas of strength for the set, and members have experience of acting for both the prosecution and the defence.
"The clerks are very accommodating." Stuart Pringle is based in Winchester and is chambers director.
Legal 500 2022
CRIME (GENERAL AND FRAUD)
3PB 'has huge strength in depth in criminal work on the Western Circuit and can be relied upon to provide first class counsel for any case'.
BUSINESS AND REGULATORY CRIME (INCLUDING HEALTH AND SAFETY)
3PB is 'a strong set for regulatory work' with 'real strength in depth'
‘A Rolls Royce criminal set on the Western Circuit‘.
‘3PB has great strength in depth and is very accommodating in finding the right counsel for the job‘.
‘A well-respected set‘.
‘The chambers has a good range of high calibre barristers‘.
Legal 500 2021 - Tier 1
BUSINESS AND REGULATORY CRIME (INCLUDING HEALTH AND SAFETY) TIER 1
"Members of 3PB are highly active in health and safety cases across the western circuit, with instructions for both the defence and prosecution in a range of cases up to and including multi-fatality matters."
CRIME (GENERAL AND FRAUD) TIER 1
3PB 'is one of the forefront chambers in Western Circuit and a has a well-deserved reputation for quality representation for both prosecution and defence'.
Chambers UK 2021 - Band 1
3PB Barristers houses a strong bench of dedicated criminal barristers, noted for their expert handling of a wide range of high-profile and complex cases. The team regularly undertakes work relating to crimes of the utmost gravity, including homicides, terror offences and large-scale drugs conspiracies. Regulatory criminal matters and cases involving both recent and historic sexual offences are also key areas of strength for the set, and members have experience of acting for both the prosecution and the defence. Significant cases recently handled by the set's tenants include R v Robert Higgins, the high-profile prosecution of an ex-Southampton FC youth coach for a variety of historic sexual offences.
Client service: "The set is very well run and the clerks are all very experienced and approachable. They react quickly to changing events and provide reliable support." "3PB is a very welcoming chambers and all of the staff are polite, professional and committed." Stuart Pringle is based in Winchester and is chambers director.
Legal 500 2020
3PB is praised by clients as a 'go-to set' for both prosecution and defence instructions work across the western circuit, with 'excellent strength in depth'. The set is instructed on all manner of cases, including serious violent, sexual, or drug-related crime, as well as more specialist areas including fraud and court-martials. Timothy Bradbury prosecuted a British Army officer, who was alleged to have raped a United States Air Force captain. Adam Feest QC prosecuted a former Southampton FC youth coach for multiple historical sexual offences against 24 complainants.
Legal 500 2020
"according to some observers in the criminal law space [the set has] ‘the monopoly on the Western Circuit, due to its strength and depth’".
The combined clerks’ room across the set’s six offices is a ‘well-oiled machine’.
Lee Giles 'a master of his art'.
Chambers UK 2020 - Band 1
Well respected for its "excellent breadth and depth of advocates," as well as its handling of high-profile cases involving sexual abuse, drugs charges and violent crime. Barristers at the set remain a popular choice for the CPS and also offer extensive experience of acting for the defence. Recent significant cases include the Huntingdon Terror Plot, involving two defendants extradited from the Netherlands who were sentenced for their involvement in a blackmail that developed from a campaign involving animal rights extremism.
Client service: "The clerking is excellent and they are always ready to go the extra mile." "The clerks are efficient and easy to deal with." Stuart Pringle is based in Winchester and is chambers director.
Legal 500 2018/19
"3PB has great breadth and depth in its criminal team, with members acting in large-scale drug trafficking matters, high profile historic sexual offences, murder cases and violent crime. In a particular highlight, multiple members of the group acted in the high profile R v Kevin Downton case regarding the murder of businessman Guy Hedger."
Chambers UK 2017
3PB Barristers are in Band One and enjoy a sterling reputation on the Western Circuit for high levels of quality and consistency across its broad criminal practice. It has an enviable track record of handling high-profile and demanding criminal cases, including murder, fraud, drug and sex offences. Instructing solicitors single out the set's efficiency and excellent client service as strengths, observing that the practitioners are "extremely reliable with great diversity, and are able to get to grips with cases at a frightening speed."
Chambers UK 2017
3PB’s criminal law practitioners provide ‘top-class advice and advocacy’.
Chambers UK 2016
"Getting almost impossible results time after time."
Legal 500 2016
"A great set of criminal law chambers."
approachable and responsive barristersChambers and Partners