Crime News

Graham Gilbert examines the relevance of a proposed amendment to the Offensive Weapons Bill currently making its way through Parliament, which will seek to introduce “Knife Crime Prevention Orders". Click here to read Graham's analysis. Click here to view Graham’s profile.

3PB Barrister Tim Bradbury leading Tom Evans successfully prosecuted four Defendants who had engaged in a sequence of ‘phoenix frauds’ cheating the public revenue of more than £3.2 million over a period of 10 years. Between them, the Hashtroudi Brothers received a total of 14 years imprisonment. 3PB Barrister Jonathan Underhill, representing their bookkeeper, was the only party to secure a suspended sentence of imprisonment. The case has been covered by the BBC.

3 Paper Buildings (3PB Barristers) has continued its expansion with the arrival of Jonathan Underhill who joins chambers as an expert criminal and financial crime barrister from Foundry Chambers (formerly 9-12 Bell Yard). He was called to the Bar in 2008, Jonathan is highly rated for financial crime and POCA cases, regulatory cases and criminal casework. Jonathan is regularly instructed to act for the Specialist Fraud Division of the CPS as well as HMRC most...

3PB criminal barristers Jodie Mittell and Gemma White awarded Certificate of Congratulations from the Chief Constable of Hampshire following the successful prosecution of multiple drug dealing networks in Southampton. Individually, and as lead and junior Counsel, over a period of some 20 months Jodie and Gemma prosecuted a number of county lines drug dealing networks operating in Hampshire resulting in significant custodial sentences being imposed. Read press coverage here    

David Richards led the successful prosecution of 7 defendants in Operation Attica, a South West Regional Organised Crime Unit investigation of heroin and cocaine dealing from London and the Midlands to Bristol. The 7 accused were all convicted on 21 November after a 6 week trial at Bristol Crown Court. Click here for more information on the case.

Following a 6 week trial at Portsmouth Crown Court, 3 defendants were convicted of the murder of Richard Hardy on 26 January 2018 and have been sentenced to life with minimum terms of 29, 28 and 27 years respectively. A 4th Defendant was sentenced to 8 years for manslaughter. In passing sentence Mrs Justice Cheema-Grub DBE referred to the offences as “brutal”, noting that the Defendants had murdered a man in less than 30 seconds in...

3PB Barristers, Nick Cotter, Elisabeth Bussey-Jones and Adam Norris, have represented defendants in Birmingham Crown Court in relation to a conspiracy to bring drugs and other contra-band items including mobile phones into a variety of prisons across the UK by using of drones.  The “Drone Conspiracy” has been described as the largest ever seen in the UK. It involved various participants playing different roles in the use of drones to steer and navigate perimeter fences and deliver cannabis,...

3PB’s Head of Chambers Nigel Lickley QC leading David Richards prosecuted an army officer for offence of gross negligence manslaughter and another officer and a warrant officer for negligent performance of duty arising from the death of soldier Michael Maguire on Castlemartin Ranges, West Wales in May 2012 during a live firing training exercise. The 8 week trial was both factually and legally complex. The case concerned the planning, organisation, and running of live firing ranges. Additionally,...

The defendant's Renault Clio had collided with a Kawasaki motorcycle ridden by 67-year-old Graham Hibbs in Victoria Road, Ferndown. Mr Hibbs, who lived in Wimborne, was "catapulted" through the air in the collision, which happened as Miss Quartey attempted to turn right into Westwood Avenue. He suffered severe head and chest injuries and died at the scene. Expert witnesses from both prosecution and defence teams agreed that parts of the carriageway were obscured by shadows on...

Nick Robinson successfully defended Mr Michael Henley-Smith at his Conspiracy to blackmail trial at Bournemouth Crown Court. The trial lasted seven days and concluded when the jury, after three hours in retirement, unanimously acquitted Mr Henley-Smith. The count faced by Mr Henley-Smith had been one of a number of counts on an Indictment containing offences of Conspiracy to Supply Class A drugs against seven other defendants. The drugs conspiracy stemmed from an extensive police investigation...

Nigel Lickley QC has been appointed as a Deputy High Court Judge under section 9(4) of the Senior Courts Act 1981. He has been assigned to the Queen’s Bench Division.

Thomas Evans successfully appealed Mr Thomson's 18-month sentence for possession of a Samurai sword in a public place. The Court of Appeal found that the sentence imposed had been "manifestly excessive" and substituted a sentence of 12 months' imprisonment. Mr Justice Goss described Mr Evans' submissions as "cogent and economical". Click here to view Thomas Evans' profile.