Year of Call: 2000
John practises exclusively in criminal and regulatory law.
John specialises in white collar crime with an emphasis on fraud, corruption and money laundering. His expertise include all aspects of related restraint and proceeds of crime proceedings. He is also significantly experienced in large-scale drug importation and distribution offences and serious organised crime, often involving evidence of the generation and dissipation of large criminal revenues.
John acts for both the prosecution and the defence, receiving regular instructions in matters involving homicide and serious violence, human trafficking, drugs, public order, robbery, firearms and other weapons, sexual offences and dishonesty.
An experienced trial advocate, John has appeared as a junior to Queen's Counsel and leading junior counsel in a number of high profile cases as well as conducting litigation in his own right. He has recently acted in several fraud cases that have attracted widespread media attention. In May 2007, John was appointed to the CPS Fraud Prosecution Division list of approved counsel. He receives regular instructions from the CPS Complex Casework Unit. John has been retained to advise on evidence and appropriate charges during the course of complex police investigations. This includes the preparation of material to be considered by the Attorney General when applying for consent to charge.
Further, John operates a niche practice acting for statutory undertakers and local government in regulatory matters. This involves both advisory and advocacy work in areas such as trading standards, infringement of trademarks and copyright, health and safety, food hygiene, planning, housing, noise and other nuisance, street works and the environment. He has particular expertise in this context of matters involving bodies corporate as defendants in criminal proceedings.
John undertakes a significant amount of privately instructed advisory and advocacy work, particularly within the music industry and press. He is qualified to receive instructions by way of direct access.
Away from his busy practice, John is a qualified advocacy tutor and is responsible for the instruction of advocacy to pupil barristers and new practitioners. In 2010, he was appointed to the Bar Standards Board prosecution, responsible for the presentation of cases against barristers before the disciplinary tribunal charged with professional misconduct and regulatory breaches. John regularly lectures solicitors, statutory undertakers, prosecution agencies and investigative bodies, including the Serious Organised Crime Agency, on various aspects of criminal and regulatory law.
Professional Memberships
Criminal Bar Association
Young Fraud Lawyers Association
South Eastern Circuit
Kent Bar Mess
Languages
Fluent Maltese
