Notable cases

Janes Solicitors are renowned for the exceptional results we achieve for our clients.  Below is a selection of our notable cases:

Serious and Complex Fraud

Serious and Organised Crime

Confiscation and Proceeds of Crime

Extradition

Contempt of Court

Prosecutions by Other Agencies

Serious and complex fraud

R v Osmond (Central Criminal Court)

Representing a solicitor in connection with the SFO inquiry in respect of ENRC where he has been charged with offences under the Proceeds of Crime Act and forgery at Southwark Crown Court.

Reporting:

R v Stunt (Leeds Crown Court)

Successfully representing our client in respect of an allegations of forgery and money laundering of £266 million, which was linked with the FCA prosecution against National Westminster Bank in relation to funds deposited into National Westminster Bank.

Reporting:

R v Woolcott (Southwark Crown Court)

Successfully representing a client charged with fraud in relation to the mis-sale of carbon credits as investment products to the retail market. The defendants were acquitted following successful objection by a Defence Counsel to the qualifications and status of the prosecution ‘expert’ witness.

Reporting:

R v Goodman (LIBOR) (Southwark Crown Court)

High profile acquittal of our client, a former ICAP broker and a key defendant (referred to as “Lord Libor”) in the Serious Fraud Office prosecution concerning alleged criminal manipulation of the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), a ‘benchmark rate’ that underpins about $350 trillion of financial products worldwide. This case was extremely high-profile and complex, with disclosure from over twenty global banking institutes and referenced millions of financial trades across multiple jurisdictions.  Janes were the only defence team to utilise industry financial academic expert Professor Neuberger to challenge ‘rate setting’ manipulation allegations.

Reporting:

R v Webster (Operation Elveden) (Southwark Crown Court)

Successful representation of the Deputy Editor of the Sun newspaper in the ‘phone hacking trial’. Our client was acquitted of conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office following charges brought under the auspices of Operation Elveden and Operation Weeting, the investigation into the legality of journalistic practices at News Group Newspapers. The charges were unique in legal history, in that there was no such similar prosecution which examined the conduct of a newspaper and its staff as a whole. The legal issues were therefore complex and opaque – involving a thorough examination of the concept of a conspiracy, the meaning of the substantive offence of committing misconduct and broadening out to examination of the impact on the defendant’s human rights under Article 6 of the ECHR.

The case naturally attracted widespread national publicity and was reported across all the major national newspapers. As a result of this prosecution and the issues raised during the trial the Law Commission conducted its own investigation into the viability and appropriateness of using this offence in prosecutions against journalists.   

Reporting:

Operation Criminal Mustang (HMRC)

Representing the director of a number of companies in an ongoing investigation and ancillary restraint proceedings brought under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. The long-running investigation is being conducted by multiple police forces and HMRC and is focussed upon alleged offences of bribery and corruption, fraud, money laundering and tax evasion alleged to involve a number of suspects including persons from a major UK trade union.

Reporting:

R v Ryan (Southwark Crown Court)

Representing a director accused of fraudulent trading involving the mis-selling of financial products up to £100m, in the longest fraud trial during lockdown. This was the first carbon credit case to be prosecuted following the very public discrediting of the Prosecution expert Andrew Agar.

Reporting:

Egan v Drummond & Drummond (Westminster Magistrates’ Court)

Successfully representing Jason and Justin Drummond, two brothers connected with running of AIM-listed company Media-Corp who faced a private prosecution brought by a shareholder alleging fraud. Successfully applied for summons to be withdrawn in the Magistrates Court. In addition, and unusually for a Defendant in a private prosecution, a defence costs order was awarded against the ‘Prosecutor’.

Reporting:

R v Gold (Southwark Crown Court)

Janes Solicitors represented a lead defendant in a seven-handed conspiracy to cheat HMRC in what has been described as one of the ‘largest direct taxation frauds in the UK’ amounting to over £268m tax at risk. The underlying business related to green projects for Research and Development across the globe and environmental carbon trading with investments by hundreds of High Net Worth Individuals.

Reporting:

R v Khan (Southwark Crown Court)

Acquittal of our client, the lead defendant in a 15-handed conspiracy to defraud mortgage fraud investigated by the Economic Crime Department of the City of London Police. The case involved several well-known high-street banking institutions, including Barclays Private Clients International and complex offshore and international property transactions using trusts. The combined value of the alleged frauds were £40m.

Reporting:

R v McCoy (Birmingham Crown Court)

Representing a former KPMG Partner alleged to have cheated HMRC in investment schemes. This case concerned ‘arrangements’ allegedly designed to create tax losses approaching £150 million for high net worth individuals seeking to reduce tax bills by making claims for relief on capital losses under ss. 131 and 132 of the Income Tax Act 2007.

Reporting:

R v Amin (Southwark Crown Court)

High profile acquittal of former RBS banker in the first HMRC prosecution against investors in film schemes.  The case attracted extensive media attention as it sent shockwaves through the tax advisory industry as investors were also now being targeted. One of a series of three trials prosecuting thirteen defendants including the financial advisor, founder and promoter, investors and film directors.

The case was unusual in that in one trial a genuine film was made, and the other film productions were used as a smoke screen to camouflage grossly inflated invoices. This particular trial turned on falsified diary entries for the bogus film productions where money was transferred across multiple jurisdictions and accounts to disguise the circular nature of the scheme financing. This is another case which demonstrates our firm’s role at the vanguard of white-collar criminal defence work.

Reporting:

R v Thomas (Southwark Crown Court)

High profile acquittal of our client, the CEO and Founder of pioneering Fibre Optic Communications and Technology companies, H2O Networks Ltd and i3 Group Limited in the Serious Fraud Office prosecution valued at over £160 million.  The case involved complex invoice factoring and alleged forgery of high value contracts and attracted widespread publicity. Janes instructed a forensic computer expert to challenge the fabrication of several key contracts on the basis of cross ‘user access’ to office computers.

Reporting:

R v Wootton (Central Criminal Court)

Known as the ‘Jubilee Line Corruption Trial’ (Wikipedia), Janes Solicitors represented a key defendant in one of the most iconic fraud and corruption cases of modern times. This was in respect of a £60 million fraud in connection with the extension of London Underground’s Jubilee line. The trial started in June 2003 and continued for 21 months before collapsing in March 2005.

Reporting:

R v Lunn (Southwark Crown Court)

This was a major HMRC prosecution of a leading tax accountant engaged in what was said to be a systematic long-term fraud against HMRC on behalf of clients, himself and his associates. The client was the ‘accountant to the stars’, counting Jeremy Paxman and Fiona Bruce amongst his 7,000 clients. The case involved the manipulation of the tax affairs of clients running to over £117m.

Reporting:

R v Lynch (Central Criminal Court)

Arguably the most highly publicised fraud trial of the decade and certainly the first of its kind, Janes Solicitors represented the high profile jockey Fergal Lynch who was charged with six others, including six-time British Champion jockey Kieren Fallon, with a conspiracy to defraud Betfair customers by fixing races.  Following submissions in which Janes Solicitors took a leading role at the end of the prosecution case all defendants were acquitted after the Judge ruled there was no case to answer.  This was a huge victory after a lengthy investigation and prosecution.

Reporting:

R v Grillo and Grillo (Isleworth Crown Court)

In what was the ‘trial of the year 2013’ Janes Solicitors represented both Grillo sisters accused of fraudulently spending over £685,000 on the credit cards of Charles Saatchi’s private company while working as personal assistants to Nigella Lawson and Charles Saatchi.  Both sisters were acquitted on charges of fraud.  The case attracted unprecedented world media interest, appearing on the global news every day for over a month and headlining the world press.

Reporting:

Rolls Royce Investigations

Janes Solicitors were instructed by nine past and present executives surrounding the investigation by the Serious Fraud Office into allegations of bribery and corruption. A keynote investigation by the Serious Fraud Office into one of the UK’s leading companies.

R v Devenney (Central Criminal Court)

We represented a Petty Naval Officer before Mr. Justice Saunders at the Central Criminal Court in respect of alleged breaches of the Official Secrets Act.  This case has been widely reported in the national and international press.

Reporting:

Operation Florin

Representing the lead defendant in an alleged pension liberation fraud valued in excess of £9 million and involving over 800 victims Nationwide. The case raised significant public policy consideration due to the impact on public as a result of pension liberation promotion by the Government and the huge rise in the number of frauds related to the same.

Operation Cindy

Large Trading Standards prosecution of a web developer who designed copycat Government websites. The value of the case was in excess of £30m and involved significant and complex technological and IT elements.  Janes also assisted in the defendant’s dealings with the Advertising Standards Agency.

Serious and organised crime

R v Pearce (Kingston Crown Court)

Successful representation at a Newton Hearing of our client, who was charged as the ‘head’ of an organised crime group responsible for the nationwide supply of 386kg of cocaine worth £13.5m across England in 2021. The issue at the Newton was leading vs. significant role.

R v Lopez (Southwark Crown Court)

R v Lopez. Client charged in connection with a shipping container sent from Costa Rica containing 400kg of cocaine disguised in a shipment of yams.

Reporting:

R v Rabone (Southwark Crown Court)

Successful representation of our client, who was acquitted following an 8-week trial at Isleworth Crown Court regarding allegations of laundering £100m of criminal cash to from London to Dubai. The 4 other co-defendants were found guilty.

Reporting:

R v Metodiev (Central Criminal Court)

Conspiracy to commit murder and supply controlled drugs. Client was arrested as part of Operation Venetic following the compromise of the Encrochat messaging system by the French authorities. The Prosecution case was that he operated at a “very high level” within the supply of controlled drugs in the South of England. He was alleged to have been attempting to commission the murder of a rival.

Reporting:

R v Harris (St. Albans Crown Court)

Client charged as part of a conspiracy to produce and distribute large quantities of cocaine across Hertfordshire by a well-established and organised crime group.  Prosecution placed our client in a ‘leading role’ at the top of the hierarchy, directing the purchase and distribution of cocaine by those within the conspiracy whilst spending his time between Spain and the UK.

R v G (Chelmsford Crown Court)

Conspiracy to import cocaine. The Client was arrested during the first wave of high-profile arrests made by the UK Police as part of Operation Venetic following the infiltration by French analysts of the encrypted communication tool Encrochat.

Reporting:

R v Yam (Central Criminal Court)

This was a highly complex and unusual murder case attracting national publicity. It was the first case in peace-time where a defendant was prevented from giving evidence in open court. The victim, an author-recluse, was found by the police in his home in Hampstead some two months after he had been battered to death. Following an international manhunt, the Defendant was extradited from Switzerland and twice stood trial. On each occasion, he was stopped from giving evidence in open Court due to national security concerns.

Reporting:

R v Westwood (Reading Crown Court)

Successful defence of our client, the former guitarist of The Tremeloes in respect of a single count of historic sexual assault dating back to 1968. This case was widely reported in the world media.  No evidence offered by the Prosecution following detailed disclosure requests and robust written representations made by Janes Solicitors which fundamentally undermined the Prosecution’s case.

Reporting:

R v TB (Central Criminal Court)

Represented defendant accused of complex fraud in which over £1,000,000 was stolen from cash machines nationally through the installation of ‘malware’ onto the machines.  Expert cell-site analysis evidence proved our client was in the vicinity of over half of the affected machines during the commission of the offences leading to favourable basis of plea being accepted by the Crown at the Central Criminal Court in January 2016.

Reporting:

R v Van Hoogstraten (Central Criminal Court)

This was a high profile case alleging that Nicholas Van Hoogstraten a multimillionaire property owner and person of prominence in the public domain allegedly paid hit men to murder a business associate following a disagreement over various property deals. Janes were instructed following the defendant’s conviction for manslaughter which was quashed on appeal and a re-trial ordered. Legal submissions were made on behalf of the defendant and in the final event, a not guilty verdict was entered.   

Reporting:

R v Ferry (Isleworth Crown Court)

Son of the rock star Bryan Ferry and renowned political campaigner in his own right, our client was charged with perverting the course of justice arising out of criminal proceedings for an offence of robbery. Following negotiations with the Crown Prosecution Service all proceedings in respect of the perverting charge were dropped and the Crown accepted a guilty plea to a minor, affray-related offence. Set against the backdrop of the fox-hunting debate, the case was highly politicised and attracted widespread national publicity.

Reporting:

Confiscation and proceeds of crime

R v Schools (Southwark Crown Court)

Instructed post-conviction to represent a former solicitor in complex and high-value confiscation and appeal proceedings relating to large-scale fraud and fraudulent trading proceedings brought by the SFO.

Reporting:

DPP v Torzi (Southwark Crown Court and Westminster Magistrates’ Court)

Successful discharge of a Restraint Order against our client brought by the Vatican state, in relation to alleged extortion of £15m in the course of the Holy See’s purchase of a London property for £360 million.

Subsequent successful discharge of extradition warrant against our client in this high profile and unprecedented case.

Reporting:

CPS v S (Southwark Crown Court)

Representing a client accused in one of the world’s largest and most complex multi-billion dollar tax frauds. The case involves thousands of specialised trades known as ‘dividend stripping’ spanning multiple global jurisdictions. Janes Solicitors have been engaged on overseas restraint proceedings leading to the discharge of the Order.

R v Jain (Southwark Crown Court)

Janes Solicitors represented the second defendant in a high-profile case prosecuted by the Serious Fraud Office. The Allied Deals/ RBG Resources fraud was a truly global fraud that cost banks $700 million dollars worldwide. The Serious Fraud Office were claiming that in the confiscation proceedings the benefit figure that should be held against our client was in excess of $1 billion. Janes successfully argued that there should be no confiscation proceedings against our client and no order was made.

Reporting:

R v Gangar (Birmingham Crown Court)

Janes Solicitors represented the main defendant in one of the largest Ponzi frauds ever prosecuted in the UK by the Serious Fraud Office and later in what is now a leading confiscation case. The case is now a leading confiscation authority on interest on unpaid amounts and has helped many defendants secure a reduction in their default sentences.

Reporting:

Extradition

India v Bhandari

Representing a very high-profile Indian industrialist whose extradition has been requested by the Government of India to face allegations of tax evasion and money laundering through companies, properties and accounts located in the UK, Panama and Dubai. The client is said to have very close links to the Ghandi family and Congress Party. The case has attracted huge attention in the Indian press and comment from Prime Minister Modi himself.

Reporting:

Turkey v OI

Successful representation of our client in the face of a request from Turkey for extradition for a serious fraud offence. Successfully arguments were raised that extradition would not be compatible with Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (freedom from torture and inhuman or degrading treatment). An array of expert evidence was obtained and our client was discharged from the extradition warrant.

Peru v GO

Our client was the requested person who was subject to an extradition request from Peru to face allegations of trafficking Class A drugs. Our client, along with 4 others was the first UK national to face an extradition request from Peru. Following successful legal submissions by Janes Solicitors our client was discharged from proceedings.

Contempt of court

Andreewitch v Moutreuil

Janes Solicitors instructed on a precedent setting case in the Court of Appeal which confirmed that Respondents who are subject to Contempt proceedings should be afforded the right to silence. The Appellant had been committed for contempt by the Respondent after allegedly breaching a freezing order made during family proceedings. He attended the contempt hearing as a litigant in person and gave evidence without being warned by the judge of his right to silence. He was subsequently found to have been in contempt and Janes Solicitors successfully appealed this ruling.

Case Report:

Reporting:

Ministry of Defence v Muyepa & Muyepa

Successfully securing the dismissal of Contempt Proceedings arising out of the widely reported case of Muyepa v Ministry of Defence [2022] EWHC 2648 (KB).

The Proceedings, which arose out of Mr. Muyepa’s record £3.7m claim for non-freezing cold injuries against the Ministry of Defence, will now not proceed to trial, meaning that Mr. and Mrs. Muyepa will not be found guilty of Contempt of Court and will not face the prospect of being committed to prison for Contempt of Court.

Reporting:

Wright v McCormack

Acting for the successful Defendant, Dr Wright, before a Divisional Court of the King’s Bench Division, in submitting that it was not in the public interest for Contempt Proceedings concerning an alleged breach of an embargoed judgment to proceed. The case garnered a large amount of publicity given that it arose out of a defamation case brought by Dr Wright, following Mr McCormack’s statements casting doubt on Dr Wright’s assertion that he is Satoshi Nakamoto, the founder and inventor of bitcoin.

Case Report:

Reporting:

Frain & Anor v Reeves & Anor

Successfully representing the 2nd Defendant in Contempt of Court proceedings in obtaining a refusal of the Claimants’ Application for Permission to bring Proceedings. Joanna Smith J determined that the Application did not begin to satisfy the test of a ‘strong prima facie case’ and nor was it in the public interest for contempt proceedings to be brought, especially when the Defendant’s “professional reputation had already been dragged through the mud”. The Judge also confirmed that when a defendant to contempt proceedings was not a party to the substantive proceedings that give rise to the application, then the Judgment from the substantive proceedings is inadmissible.

Case Report:

Reporting:

QRT v JBE

Representing the Defendant in a successful summary dismissal of a Contempt Application before Nicklin J on the basis that the Application failed to comply with the strict procedural requirements and because the Application was founded on an incorrect reading of the injunction. The Judge described the case as ““a sobering reminder of the obligation on parties’ [in this instance, the Claimant’s] lawyers to read very carefully and to understand the effects of injunction orders”.

Case Report:

Prosecutions by other agencies 

Electoral Commission v Paisley

Our client was a prominent politician investigated in respect of a series of allegations of electoral offences contrary to the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.

Reporting:

 

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