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 has "a strong set with barristers of every level and specialism." 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" and "has members with expertise across a wide range of civil and criminal health and safety cases for local authorities, regulatory bodies, businesses, individuals, and the Health and Safety Executive." "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]. The team's secure email addresses are [email protected] and [email protected]. Additional contact details are listed below.
Our Crime Barristers...
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We are delighted to announce that the King has appointed 3PB’s criminal barrister Daniel Sawyer (pictured here) to be a Circuit Judge with effect from Monday 4 November. Daniel has been deployed to the Western Circuit and will be based at Portsmouth Crown Court. Called to the Bar in 2001, Daniel Sawyer has been a Recorder for the last four years. With over 20 years’ experience at the Bar, Daniel is a barrister who was...
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3PB's crime barrister Thomas Acworth (pictured here) acted for JP, a 60-year-old man of previous good character, who was accused of serious sexual offences said to have taken place from the late 1970s to the mid 1980s. He was tried before HHJ Feest KC at Winchester Crown Court. The indictment included 22 incidents of what would now be charged as rape of a child under 13. The litigation involved considerable arguments over disclosure, which were...
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3PB specialist business and regulatory crime barrister Jonathan Underhill was instructed to defend a company and its director in a Crown Court case involving the large scale import of counterfeit and “grey goods” which are contrary to the Trade Marks Act 1994. The items imported included clothing from a number of high profile and well-known brands including Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Levi's and Diesel. As a result of Jonathan’s careful case preparation and submissions, the...
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3PB Barristers congratulates its first-class Criminal and Regulatory Law team for another strong result in Chambers and Partners’ 2025 edition. Not only has the team retained its Band 1 ranking for Crime in the Western Circuit, with 10 of its practitioners ranked in this area of law, it has also added 2 new rankings for Health and Safety in Western, now totalling 3 ranked barristers. While our barristers are praised for their forensic analyses, strategic...
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3PB Barristers (3 Paper Buildings) breaks another record in the latest edition of Chambers and Partners with a total of 96 rankings (81 last year) achieved by 80 of its barristers. The national set is rewarded with accolades in 21 areas of law, in the London Bar as well as in the North Eastern, South Eastern, Western and Midlands Circuits and exceptional comments for its expertise and service delivery. Click here to view the full...
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3PB’s Criminal Law team has retained its top tier ranking in the Legal 500 for Crime (General and Fraud) in the Western Circuit and welcomes three new rankings: 14 of its 28 practitioners are now ranked by the Legal 500. In our clients’ words, “3PB is ‘a strong set with barristers of every level and specialism’ and continues to handle cases across a wide spectrum of serious criminal cases, spanning murders, large-scale drug conspiracies, sexual...
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3PB Barristers (3 Paper Buildings), one of the UK's largest chambers, is celebrating this year again its rankings - totalling 167 - in the Legal 500 2025’s edition published today, a 15% increase on last year’s 145. The set is ranked in 23 areas of law, across 4 UK Circuits: London, South Eastern, Western and the Midlands. 3PB’s barristers are also ranked in the Middle East and Asia Pacific regions. The Legal 500 acknowledges 3PB...
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3PB Barristers criminal barrister Berenice Mulvanny represented one of two Chichester community rangers who were charged with assault and false imprisonment of a 15 year old boy in Superdrug on 22nd March 2023. This case attracted considerable media attention after a short clip of the incident was published on the internet with allegations the incident was racially motivated. Miss Mulvanny's client detained the youth after being headbutted by the youth who was trying to shoplift....
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3PB Barristers' (3 Paper Buildings) criminal defence barrister Nick Robinson, led by Zafar Ali KC of 23ES Chambers, represented Edward Jones who was charged with assisting an offender and fraud. After a 12-week trial at Winchester Crown Court before the Recorder of Winchester HHJ Morris, Edward Jones was unanimously acquitted of both counts. Nick (pictured here) and Zafar were instructed by Philip McCann of Penfold & McPherson Solicitors. To contact Nick Robinson, or to instruct...
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Anna Leathem (call:2019), a regulatory, professional discipline and criminal barrister, has joined 3PB from 5SAH (5 St Andrew's Hill) in London and will be based from 3PB’s Winchester office. Anna acts on behalf of regulators and registrants. She recently completed a secondment with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and managed a large and varied caseload. She presented back-to-back substantive hearings in complex areas, including sexual misconduct and dishonesty, acted in interim order hearings, reviews...
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Tom Horder (pictured here), who is co-head of 3PB's Tier 1 Crime team of barristers, has just concluded two back-to-back murder trials, both of which resulted in the acquittal of his clients. The first murder trial involved the widely publicised prosecution of the former Mayor of Winchester for attempting to kill his terminally-ill, 92 year old mother. Whilst the pathology evidence showed no evidence of a deliberate malicious act, in calls to the Police and...
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Welcome to our third crime and regulatory law newsletter edited by Oliver Hirsch, featuring our conference on 13 September as well as crime news and analysis from Oliver Hirsch, Kate Davies, Jo Martin KC, Gemma White, Tom Acworth, Berenice Mulvanny, Sunyana Sharma, Rebecca McKnight and Holly Fagan.
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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."
excellent serviceChambers and Partners