Recent casesCurrent casesNotable cases
Recent cases
R v TJ Smith
Exeter Crown Court. Defence of a Limited Company charged with offences under sections 2 and 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
R v Baines
Mold Crown Court. Defence of one of two men charged with a drug turf war murder.
Operation Lunar
Birmingham Crown Court. Representing first of ten defendants charged with investment fraud to the extent of £150m. Case dismissed after legal submissions. Prosecution's expressed intention to seek a voluntary bill of indictment abandoned after six months' reconsideration.
R v Bickley
Mold Crown Court. Defence of man charged with murder of his housemate and attempted murder of three members of her family.
R v Cooper
Mold Crown Court. Defence of man charged with murder of his estranged partner and wounding with intent of a man who came to her aid.
R v Farnham
Bristol Crown Court. Defence of man charged with the stabbing murder of a neighbour.
R v G
Hull Crown Court. Ten week fraud trial where client was the principal defendant in a property fraud.
R v Jones
Winchester Crown Court. Defence of one of two defendants charged with the murder of an Albanian drug dealer.
R v Jones
Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court. Prosecution of a paranoid schizophrenic who attempted to murder his partner's son.
R v Stephen Hough [MOLD CROWN COURT]
Historic murder of 15 year old girl allegedly committed in 1976.
R v Peter Morgan
Newport Crown Court. Defence of multi millionaire property developer charged with the murder of his 'girlfriend', an escort for whom he had provided a lavish lifestyle.
R v MC [BIRMINGHAM CROWN COURT]
Defence of a man charged with the murder of a Romanian sex worker.
R v AM [MOLD CROWN COURT]
Defence of a man charged with a drug related murder.
R v JPT AND KS [SWANSEA CROWN COURT]
Prosecution of two defendants charged with murder of a 43 year old taxi driver in the first defendant's home.
R v W
Defence of one of nine defendants charged with dealing in criminal property: in essence an allegation of fraud involving a seven figure sum.
R v SJ Newport Crown Court
Defence of a 27 year old mother charged with the attempted murder of two of her three children.
R v P [2014] Swansea Crown Court
Successfully represented a solicitor charged with money laundering in a dismissal application at the Swansea Crown Court. A conjoined argument with two other solicitors led to the charges being dismissed.
R v Evans (Eric) [2014] 1 WLR 2817
Successfully represented a senior solicitor charged with conspiracy to defraud arising from a complex land transaction involving restoration obligations at open cast mining sites. Mr. Harrington was first instructed in 2010; he led John de Wall QC, and Ben Douglas Jones, instructed by Phil Williams of Blackfords, Cardiff throughout the very complex proceedings. After a week of submissions, Hickinbottom J acceded and dismissed the charge.1
R v Evans (Eric) [2014]
Successfully represented the same solicitor in resisting an application by the SFO in the SFO's application for a Voluntary Bill of Indictment. After two weeks of argument before Fulford LJ, (sitting as a Judge of the High Court) he reserved judgment and later handed down judgement dismissing the application. The same legal team acted for Eric Evans.
1 - Citation
Operation Valgus [2014] CA Pitchford LJ, Openshaw J and HHJ Deborah Taylor
Represented the Prosecution Respondent, together with Ben Douglas Jones, in resisting appeals against conviction by a solicitor and a property developer co defendant for their convictions for conspiracy to defraud. Sentence appeals by three appellants were heard in the same proceedings, all but one of which were refused.
R v Simon Drew [2014] Birmingham Crown Court
Successfully represented an independent financial adviser charged with 34 counts of investment fraud to the value of £15m; led Shawn Williams throughout a 4½ month trial; Simon Drew was acquitted on all counts.
R v Beadell [2014] Chester Crown Court, Jay J
Represented a 22 year old man jointly charged with a drug related stabbing murder. The same defendant were also charged with firearms offences. Beadell and another were convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a tariff of 27 years.
R v Hope and Richards [2014] CA Thomas CJ, Wyn Williams and Phillips JJ sitting at Cardiff
Representing the prosecution in resisting appeals and an application for leave in relation conviction and appeals against sentences of life imprisonment with forty year tariffs arising from convictions for murder: application and appeals refused. (see also infra)
R v Johnson [2014] Birmingham Crown Court
Successful resolution of a long standing Proceeds of Crime application for a defendant previously convicted of money laundering.
R v Morris [2014] Shrewsbury Crown Court
Successful defence of a farmer charged with assault following a shooting party in Shropshire. The complainant, a lawyer, suffered a bilateral fractured jaw.
Operation Valgus (Part 2) [2013/4] Mold Crown Court
Prosecution, with Ben Douglas Jones, of 7 defendants indicted in Part 2 of a massive mortgage fraud. All pleaded guilty (at earlier hearings) either as indicted or with alternative offences.
R v Mills [2014] Newport Crown Court
Defence of a man charged with three counts of murder by arson of his girlfriend, his child and his girlfriend's mother. Convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment with a tariff of 35 years. Responded to a subsequent Attorney General's Reference where Thomas CJ increased the tariff to 35 years.
Operation Valgus (Part 1) [2013]
Prosecuted, with Ben Douglas Jones, six defendants charged with conspiracy to defraud arising from a massive mortgage fraud involving 800 residential properties in North Wales and elsewhere. A five month trial which resulted in the conviction of five defendants.
R v Hope and Richards [2012]
Prosecution, with Roger Griffiths, of two me charged with the contract killing of a seventeen year old student and the attempted murder of his parents. The drug fuelled killers went to the wrong address and attacked the victims with knives. An earlier trial had been aborted; this trial lasted five months.
Some current instructions
L v A
High Court QBD. Advising in a multi million pound contractual dispute over royalties allegedly due following the sale/purchase of an open cast mine.
R v DH
Prosecution of 22 year old man for the murder of his 19 year sometime girlfiend.
Operation Valgus (Part 3)
Prosecution of sole remaining defendant in this long running case
Other notable cases
R v Peter Morgan
Newport Crown Court. Defence of multi millionaire property developer charged with the murder of his 'girlfriend', an escort for whom he had provided a lavish lifestyle.
R v H and ors (Operation Bulkhead)
Prosecution of five defendants charged with an alleged film tax fraud by 'sideways relief'.
R v DL [2010] [Cardiff Crown Court]
Represented a Company charged with Health and Safety offences arising from a fatal accident at a water pumping station. The case was stayed as an abuse of process after lengthy arguments.
R v Foley [2010]
Defence of a driver charged with causing death by dangerous driving. Acquitted.
R v Simon Morris [2010] [Mold Crown Court]
Prosecution of a man who attacked his heavily pregnant fiancée with a hammer, fracturing her skull. Defence was that the attack was committed by an intruder; convicted and sentenced to 25 years imprisonment.
R v James [2010]
Defence of one of six defendants charged with multimillion pound VAT fraud.
R v G [2009] [Carmarthen Crown Court]
Successful defence of a businessman accused of trying to bribe the Chief Executive of a Local Authority. Acquitted.
R v Fryer [2009] [Sheffield Crown Court]
Successful defence of the Captain of a rig support vessel supporting oil rigs in the North Sea. Charged with the marine equivalent of manslaughter of three colleagues who died of asphyxiation in the vessel's chain locker. Acquitted of the three counts.
R v Reed [2009] [Cardiff Crown Court, Pitchford J]
Successful defence of a company employee charged with manslaughter following a fatal accident at a water pumping station.
R v Gafoor [2008] Cardiff Crown Court (Royce J)
Prosecuted Jeffrey Gafoor who pleaded guilty to the notorious murder of Cardiff prostitute Lynette White whose murder had led to a trial and retrial of five men for her murder. Three were convicted but later successfully appealed their convictions which were quashed (the 'Cardiff Three). A defining case in the investigation by DNA and detective cooperation. Defendant traced by newly discovered DNA material and a trace via a nephew and a sibling.
R v David George Morris [2002] Swansea Crown Court (Butterfield J)
Prosecution of the 'Clydach murders': the murder of three generations of one family: 34 year old Mandy Power, her 10 and 8 year old daughters and her 80 year old mother. Convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment but see below.
R v David George Morris [2005] EWCA Crim 1246 [Pill LJ, Curtis and Pitchford JJ)
Acted for Respondent in successful appeal by Morris where it emerged that his solicitor had at trial had a conflict of interest having previously represented one of the original suspects in the case.
R v David George Morris [2006] Newport Crown Court [McKinnon J]
Prosecuted the retrial of David George Morris where he was again convicted: sentenced to life imprisonment and an order that he should never be released.
R v Pearse [2002] Bristol Crown Court [Jack J]
Defence of the 21 year old daughter a successful author who was charged with the murder of her sister's boyfriend. Although she admitted stabbing him through the heart as he lay asleep in her sister's garden JP was acquitted of both murder and manslaughter.
R v Hampson [2002] Bristol Crown Court [Hallett J]
Prosecution of an historic murder which occurred in 1990. The case known universally as 'the Geraldine Palk murder' which had been unsolved for over a decade. A defining case in the use of revolutionary DNA technology.
