Michael Vere-Hodge QC

Call 1970
Silk 1993
Email michael.vere-hodge@3pb.co.uk
Download PDF version

---

Crime

Michael Vere-Hodge Deputy Head of Chambers, is a senior criminal silk with extensive experience of all types of serious crime acting both for the prosecution and defence. He has a particular interest in cases involving firearms and shotguns.

Head of the Crime Group

He is a Recorder authorised to try serious sexual offences in the Crown Court.

Areas of experience include:

• Murder: Including attempts, solicitation to murder.
• Manslaughter: Provocation, Diminished responsibility, Gross negligence, Unlawful act.
• Rape and all sexual offences modern and historical including the use of intermediaries for vulnerable witnesses.
• Armed Robbery and all offences of dishonesty.
• Fraud: VAT evasion, Government Regional Grants, Leasing, Management of insurance agency, International trade in stolen, cloned 4x4 vehicles from Japan.
• MTIC: Missing Trader Intra-Community fraud, or Carousel fraud.
• Drugs: Possessions, Injections resulting in death, Importations including anabolic steroids and human growth hormones from Pakistan.
• Arson at all levels.
• Car 'ringing'.
• Blackmail.
• Public Order Offences including riot.
• Firearms/Shotguns: has acted in several cases involving the use of firearms and shotguns. Expertise in Firearms licensing laws. These have included appeals to the Crown Court against the revocation of firearm/shotgun licences.
• Extensive experience of Police disciplinary hearings having served as a Police Disciplinary Tribunal Chairman.
• Has defended police officers on several occasions including cases of serious indecent assaults. Conspiracy charges in relation to car imports including allegations of corruption which led to not guilty verdicts.

Notable/Recent Cases

Conviction of a mother on a charge of failing to protect her child from the violent father quashed on Appeal.

Appeal to the Crown Court against the revocation of Firearms and Shotgun certificates. Revocation based on police intelligence only. Issues of disclosure.

Defence of an 18 year old girl, charged with murder, after being arrested in possession of a firearm recently used in a murder. Not Guilty of murder, sentenced to the minimum term for possession of the firearm.

Also currently advising on an appeal against a shotgun revocation.

Currently instructed by HMRC in the VAT Tribunal to respond to appeals involving £30 million. An MTIC case involving mobile telephone trading.

Prosecuted two defendants in a double murder committed by two defendants in a drugs related killing, resulting in both being convicted of both murders.

Advised for the prosecution in a Manslaughter by neglect case where a son declined to call any form of assistance or properly care for his very elderly mother, resulting in conviction of the defendant.

R v L and R. Defence to charges of neglect in a ‘shaken baby’ allegation. It involved complex medical issues of causation and the symptoms visible or apparent to the mother.

R v Walker and others Plymouth Crown Court. The Defence of a conspiracy to defraud the NHS Trusts by claiming for the treatment of fictitious divers requiring decompression treatment for ‘the bends’. Representation of the ‘whistle blower’.

R v Flook and Norris Defence of alleged conspiracy to import drugs from South Africa. Tons of cannabis worth between £20 - £40 million and £10 million worth of cocaine intercepted in South Africa. Other conspirators were arrested in South Africa. Complexities of admissibility, huge quantities of shipping documents, telephone evidence, covert listening tapes and issues of 'identity theft'.

R v Ashley Ray Defence of allegations of rape and domestic violence between ex-partners, both of whom were profoundly deaf. The trial had to be conducted through interpreters assisted by an intermediary appointed for the Complainant who also had learning difficulties as well as deafness.

R v Kayani, Oxford Crown Court. Defence of a drug trafficking confiscation proceeding. A previous confiscation order had been made and satisfied some years before. The prosecution applied to have property assets declared to be 'benefit' in these proceedings which were acquired before the first confiscation order and excluded from that consideration. After successful defence argument, the initial claim for in excess of £1 million was reduced to an order for £150k.

R v Binns and others. Bristol 'Riot' Prosecution.

R v Stephenson and others. Prosecution of the murder of 5 people in a Fordingbridge house including robbery and arson.

R v Schmelz and others. Main defendant in £12 million bullion robbery.

R v Squance. Defence of alleged tampering with Sky TV cards and similar to enable unauthorised viewing.

R v Ozanne. MTIC. Defence of a large Missing Trader Fraud involving £4 million VAT on the sale of mobile telephones sourced from Guernsey.

R v Rai and Rai , R v Hunt and Fawley. Prosecution of two separate cases of 'shallow grave' murders involving all the forensic disciplines including pollen evidence and mobile telephone record tracking.

R v Akinour. Double murder involving complex psychiatric issues and Muslim cultural side issues.

Defence of double murder 'crime of passion'.

R v Abdul . Defence of pharmacist involved in grey imports of anabolic steroids and human growth hormones from Pakistan.

R v Clark. Defence of solicitation to murder over the internet. Alleged victim in USA therefore FBI involvement. First prosecution ever brought.

R v Vincent. Defence of alleged manslaughter after publican had a bet with a customer over how much he could drink. Customer died attempting to win bet.

R v Marsh. Private defence for insurance company of lorry driver who had an unsecured arm on vehicle which killed a pedestrian.

R v Briers. Defence of alleged manslaughter. Husband failed to call medical assistance quickly enough when his wife took a fatal overdose of prescribed medication.

R v Ford. Defence of allegation of historical sexual abuse in boys home.

R v Arnold. Prosecution of robbery and murder of taxi driver.

R v Sargant. Prosecution of murder. Kicking and stamping forensic evidence.

R v Taylor and Young. Defence of murder after conviction for attempted murder when victim died following trial one.

R v Gibson and Gibson. Defence in murder where no body was found.

R v Cox. Prosecution of a brother who killed his brother. Defence of provocation.

R v Gantz. Defence of allegation of administering ecstasy to unknowing fellow passenger on a plane flight from Tel Aviv to London.

R v Dawson. Defence of complex fraud involving imported cloned 4x4 vehicles stolen from Japan via Dubai .

R v Miller and Havell. Prosecution of car clampers charged with blackmail. First prosecution ever brought.

R v Doran. Defence of alleged manslaughter following the death from heart failure of a victim in a fight who had previously undergone a heart bypass. One issue being causation.

R v Patni. Defence of bar manager accused of rape.

R v Vengesai. Prosecution of indecent assault and unconnected rape by HIV positive man.

R v Brizzell. Defence of a man accused of attempted murder and threats to kill his two children by gassing them and himself in his car.

R v West. Prosecution of woman who murdered her husband with a shotgun. She claimed it had gone off accidentally when she was dancing provocatively for him.