Ann  defends in all areas of criminal law and has substantial experience in heavy fraud cases.

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Ann both defends and prosecutes (formerly Grade 4) in all areas of criminal law and has substantial experience in heavy fraud cases. She was appointed a Recorder in 2009 and she sits frequently at crown courts throughout the South Eastern Circuit. Ann is a fearless advocate and is known for her attention to detail. In R and D and others (see below), both her cross- examination and speech to the jury, in a lengthy multi-handed fraud trial were described as “outstanding,” she is a force to be reckoned with.

Ann’s intellectual ability and tenacity were rewarded by her success in the Supreme Court on a point of money laundering law R v GH (2015) UKSC 24. News piece here. In both November 2016 and March 2017 she was invited by the Regional Security System Asset Recovery Unit based in Barbados to give money laundering presentations at conferences in the Caribbean.

From July 2019 to July 2021 Ann worked as a financial crime specialist at the ODPP in the Cayman Islands where she was responsible for numerous complex cross-border money laundering investigations.

 

CURRENTLY

Ann is concentrating on sitting as a Recorder of the South Eastern Circuit and assisting with the current backlog of criminal cases in the crown courts.

Notable cases

R v B and others – Imposed a ground breaking Criminal Behaviour Order in a multi – handed gang violence case banning the defendants from meeting in order to make “drill” music inciting violence. There was widespread press coverage and interest in the case.

R v A and others – Defended in a multi handed County Lines drugs conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. The case involved a total of 12 defendants and the prosecution case relied on an undercover officer, cell site evidence, telephone evidence and extensive observation evidence.

R v D and others – Successfully defended in a 7 handed diamond fraud in April 2018 at Basildon CC involving a cut throat defence. Unsuspecting victims were defrauded of a total of

£438k. Staff at a bogus company were making unsolicited telephone calls ‘cold calling’ victims and offering coloured diamonds as investment opportunities.

R v R and others – Defended in a 7 handed modern slavery case at Teesside CC for 4 months in 2018. Three conspiracies alleged against the defendant namely human trafficking, forced labour and money laundering. The case involved numerous vulnerable complainants with evidence being given through multiple interpreters. There was extensive financial evidence in the case which the prosecution relied upon to establish complicity

R v Mc C and others –Defended in a massive drugs case (cocaine and heroin) in a 4 week trial at Kingston CC. The overall conspiracy itself may well have been one of the largest conspiracies ever to have been successfully disrupted. Dutch conspirators were responsible for bringing the drugs into the UK in Dutch ambulances. The value of the drugs was over £400 million with a street value of £1 billion. Mc C was sentenced on the basis of “significant” rather than “leading “role following successful submissions made by Ann. This had the effect of reducing his sentence. Website article here.

R v S and others – Successfully defended (led Beth Crocker) in a 3 month trial at Southwark Crown Court. The case involved a sophisticated £20 million land fraud prosecuted on behalf of Trading Standards. The defendant was a company director and it was alleged that she was a party to a substantial conspiracy to defraud in which members of the public were persuaded to buy worthless plots on the understanding that they represented a good investment.

S was alleged to be one of 3 conspirators who bought the worthless land at 4 different UK sites and divided it into small plots in order to sell it onto members of the public with the promise of huge rates of return. It was alleged that they employed sales brokers in Southern Spain to push their dishonest sales pitches in an attempt to distance themselves from the lies told. The “scam” attracted media attention at the time following a Sky News undercover documentary designed to expose the company’s alleged dishonest practices. The company was raided and closed down by Trading Standards in June 2012.

R v B and others – Successfully prosecuted a substantial multi handed insurance fraud case on behalf of Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department at the Central Criminal Court. B was a sophisticated fraudster who set up a number of Ghost broking websites purporting to provide car insurance at a significant discount below the market rates. In total he received

£658,460.84. B had enlisted help from a number of other individuals and there followed a trial of 4 defendants charged with fraud and money laundering offences.

 

At the end of the defence case a submission of no case to answer was made on a technical point of law in relation to money laundering arrangements. Ann immediately appealed the terminating ruling pursuant to section 58 CJA 2003. She was successful in the Court of Appeal against one of the two defendants “G” and the Court ruled in favour of the second defendant “H.” In respect of “H” she persuaded the Court of Appeal to certify a point of law of general public importance. Her argument was successful in the Supreme Court and the judgment law R v GH (2015) UKSC 24 is now frequently cited in money laundering cases.

 

R v JB and others – Successfully defended in a substantial fraud case prosecuted by Trading Standards. The defendant was employed by a roof coating company as a sales person. She was prosecuted for numerous fraud offences along with the two company directors who both faced a charge of fraudulent trading and fraud offences. Expert evidence was relied upon by the prosecution in relation to the correct approach to measuring roofs. It was a pivotal part of the prosecution case that the defendant had dishonestly and deliberately over measured roofs in order to maximise on her commission. In the event both directors were convicted and received lengthy custodial sentences. However, out of a total of 11 counts the defendant was acquitted by the jury of all bar one and as a result JB received a non – custodial sentence.

 

R v M and others – Successfully defended in a complex high profile £28m “boiler room” fraud prosecuted by the FSA. At the time, the largest ever investigation undertaken by the FSA and a virtually paperless case. An international fraud involving six different jurisdictions, Ann was instructed pre-charge to advise on all aspects of the case.

 

R v R and others – Successfully defended in a duty evasion case involving 16 defendants. The total duty evaded was approximately £2million. A ‘cut throat’ defence required very careful handling

Qualifications

BA (Hons.) PPE, Balliol, Oxford
Diploma in Law
Gray’s Inn – Advocacy Trainer
Direct access qualified

Professional Associations

Criminal Bar Association

Appointments

Recorder of the Crown Court (2009)