Dominic Connolly

Education / Qualifications

LL.B (Hons) London School of Economics (Upper Second)

Middle Temple (Blackstone Award)

Appointments

Specialist practice areas

Profile

Dominic is an experienced criminal practitioner whose practice principally concerns large-scale organised crime. As Standing Counsel to RCPO, he is instructed in the prosecution of the most serious offences for Revenue and Customs and the Serious and Organised Crime Agency. He is on the list of prosecutors for the Serious Fraud Office. In addition, he undertakes cases across the full range of serious criminal work.

For some years, he has prosecuted, as leading junior, many complex, multi-handed cases of drug smuggling, money laundering, tax evasion (including VAT) and excise fraud. He has prosecuted for the Crown Prosecution Service in serious and high profile cases including murder, conspiracy to defraud, corruption, rape and historic sexual abuse.                                                                              

He has acted on behalf of other Government Departments / Agencies including the Department of Work and Pensions, Department of Health and the Asset Recovery Agency. He has also prosecuted on behalf of a number of Local Authorities.

A significant proportion of his practice relates to the restraint, confiscation and forfeiture of the proceeds of crime in the Court of Appeal, Divisional Court, High Court, Crown Court and Magistrates Court.

Dominic is also a Registered Lawyer with the Football Association

Notable Cases

Currently instructed in a prosecution involving serving prisoners in the UK and South America conspiring together and with others to import Class A drugs from South America to the Republic of Ireland.

Currently instructed in a prosecution alleging money laundering, possession of drugs with intent to supply and possession of firearms.

Currently instructed in a 5 handed kidnapping case.

• Op Majoram - the prosecution of a conspiracy to fraudulently obtain tax credits and VAT repayments involving the use of over 800 false identities and in excess of 400 fraudulent applications for tax credits and VAT repayments with a potential loss to the Revenue exceeding £5.2 million.

• R v Smith & Ors- leading counsel in the prosecution of a team of rogue builders who defrauded over 40 elderly or otherwise vulnerable householders in London and across South East England in Excess of £800,000.   The case was widely reported in the national media. 

• R v Simkus & Ors- Prosecution of a multi handed tobacco smuggling ring involving the storage of smuggled excise goods in commercial storage units across London.

• Operation Turbine- The prosecution of two officers of HM Revenue & Customs and others in a sophisticated VAT repayment fraud by creating two fictitious businesses, supposedly with a view to publication of a celebrity cook book.   One of the witnesses called by the Crown was Marco Pierre White.

• R v Roberts & Ors- Instructed by the Complex Case Unit (formerly the Organised Crime Unit) in Kent as junior Counsel in a conspiracy to carry out ram raids on cash machines across South Ease England.

• Dimitijevic & Ors- Multi-handed excise duty fraud.

• Lim- A Prosecution under CITES regulations involving the smuggling of endangered species, namely rare orchids from Indonesia, a case that attracted considerable media attention.

• R v Ward & Ors- Junior Counsel in the prosecution of two Solicitors, a mortgage broker, an accountant and others in a multiple mortgage fraud and money laundering case.    Subsequently had sole conduct of confiscation proceedings in which order in the sum of approximately £1.5 million was obtained, although this was subsequently reduced by the Court of Appeal following the decision of the House of Lords in R v May

• R v Young- Prosecution of a Solicitor on charges of theft from a client account and using a forged instrument, namely a bank statement submitted to the law society in an attempt to cover up the crime.

• R v Crewe & Ors- Junior Counsel in two handed murder.

• Operation Kilimanjaro- Leading Counsel in a conspiracy to supply heroin.

• Operation Horntail- Leading Counsel in a series of drug importations at Heathrow Airport involving airport employee ("rip offs")

• R v Westell- Prosecution of a Chartered Accountant in a complex VAT fraud and for theft of monies from a client account.

• R v Bayley- Junior Counsel in the prosecution of a Chartered Accountant on charges of evasion of VAT amounting to nearly a million pounds.

•  Frigate- Junior Counsel in a trial involving allegations of corruption against 3 Prison Officers, a prison inmate and his wife.

•  Suchedina- Junior Counsel in a multi-million pound money laundering operation carried on at a bureau de change in Central London.   The main defendant's conviction was overturned in the Court of Appeal following the case of R v Montila.   Dominic was instructed as leading Counsel in the re-trial.

• R v Smith & Ors- Defending criminal associate of alleged to have falsely imprisoned and tortured three youths who had burgled the drug dealer's home and stolen drugs.

• R v Smiles- Defence Counsel for a company Director accused of providing bribes to secure contracts from a multi-national insurance company.

•  Draft- Junior Counsel in what was then the largest ever prosecution brought by HM Customs & Excise (as they then were).   The case involved the arrest of a major international drug trafficker.   He and three of his close associates pleaded guilty and provided evidence for the Crown leading to the arrest and prosecution of over 40 of his criminal associates including a serving police officer, a solicitor's clerk and two notorious expatriate drug barons.

• R v Pugh- Junior Counsel in a combined prosecution by Inland Revenue and HM Customs & Excise (as they then were) into an income tax and VAT fraud carried out by a successful businessman.

• R v Quiver- Junior Counsel in prosecution of multi handed benefit fraud.

Pupil supervisor

Cases of note

R v Briggs [2003] EWCA Crim 329 (Court of Appeal)

McKenna v DPP [2005] EWHC (Admin) 677 (Court of Appeal)