Trevor is a very experienced criminal defence barrister, whose practice encompasses the full range of serious crime including murder; manslaughter; rape; large scale fraud; armed robbery; kidnap; extortion and drugs. He has acted as leading junior in numerous multi-handed conspiracies and has been instructed for the defence as both leading and led juniorin high profile murder cases. Trevor also has a thriving Court of Appealpractice and is frequently instructed in post conviction referralson behalf of clients from all over the country.
In 2019, Trevor successfully appealed a defendant’s multiple convictions for historic offences of rape and other sexual assaults before the Court of Appeal, thereby quashing a 14-year sentence of imprisonment. He was also leading junior counselfor a Defendant charged with the murder of a man in a 24-hour convenience store, following an argument over a cigarette. Trevor secured acquittals for defendants in multi-handed cases of fraud and money laundering. In one such case, Trevor successfully defended a manager at Network Rail, charged with the systematic fraud of the company, by awarding NR contracts to his own company. Most recently, Trevor has secured the acquittal of a defendant charged with aggravated burglary, following a brutal hammer attack on the occupier of residential premises in the dead of night, where the defence was that the complainant had wrongfully identified his cousin. Upcoming cases include a multi-handed attempted murder (by shooting) where Trevor has been instructed to represent the first Defendant and also the blackmail of a prominent person in public life.
In 2018, Trevor represented the Appellant in the attempted murder appeal of R-v-Taj, where a 5 person Court of Appeal considered whether a trial judge was right to remove self-defence/defence of others due to a genuinely held mistaken belief by a defendant, who had claimed that he had attacked a motorist on the Albert Embankment in London, believing him to be a terrorist in possession of a roadside bomb. In a landmark judgment, the Court of Appeal upheld the conviction, ruling that the trial judge was right to remove the statutory defence under section 76(4) of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008, where the mistaken belief was induced by past voluntary consumption of drugs and alcohol which subsequently triggered a temporary ‘’psychotic state’’ (See s76(5) of the CJIA 2008). The case has attracted considerable academic interest and is widely reported.
Trevor is tenacious in court, with a forthright, no nonsense style of advocacy. He is known for taking all arguable points of law in his client’s defence. Trevor has a loyal following among his professional clients. His easy, disarming manner appeals to clients from all walks of life.
2019 R-v-JR. Central Criminal Court. Leading defence counsel in murder by stabbing of customer of a 24 hour convenience store following argument over a cigarette.
2019 R-v-AB. Court of Appeal. Successful appeal against conviction for multiple historic rapes and sexual assaults resulting in all convictions being quashed, together with 14 year prison sentence.
2018 R-v-Simon Taj [2019] 2 WLR 380.Court of Appeal and Kingston Crown Court (2016). Represented Appellant in Crown Court (2016) and Court of Appeal (2018), Attempted Murder where self-defence by reason of genuine mistake of fact (Appellant believed Complainant to be a terrorist) was removed by trial judge due to Appellant’s past consumption of drugs and/or alcohol which caused a temporary ‘’psychosis’’.
2018 R-v-COH. Snaresbrook Crown Court. Successful defence of Defendant charged with multi-handed conspiracy possess firearms with intent to endanger life.
2018 R-v-PS. Sheffield Crown Court. Successful submission of no case to answer in murder trial where D (First Defendant’s mother) was cleared of perverting the course of justice by telling lies about her son’s whereabouts to police in circumstances where lies had no effect on police who knew the truth from the start.
2017 R-v-NM. Snaresbrook Crown Court. Multi-handed kidnap and false imprisonment trial where Defendant was acquitted of all charges. Defence was that the Complainant was a fantasist who had made the whole thing up.
2017 R-v-LB. Bournemouth Crown Court. Defendant and husband charged with various frauds by false representations after administering ‘’fake botox’’ to clients causing facial disfigurement. Defendant acquitted at close of prosecution case (no evidence of any effective representation made out).
2016 R-v-SJ. Represented Defendant charged with attempted murder after discovering her husband was married to another woman and was leading a double life with her. After two trials, Defendant pleaded to lesser offence and avoided an extended sentence..
2016 R-v-T & Others. Leading junior in manslaughter re-trial after convictions overturned by the Court of Appeal in same year.
2015 R-v-EE. Successful defence of Defendant charged with multiple counts of rape against his partner where phone download material demonstrated consent and (occasionally filmed the acts in question).
2014 R v Lawal and others. Defence counsel in large scale VAT and income tax fraud.
2014 R v T & others. Leading junior counsel for the defendant in a multi-handed “manslaughter by flight” trial at the Central Criminal Court.
2014 R v YA and another. Snaresbrook Crown Court. Successfully defended a youth charged with attempted murder and perverting the course of justice, arising out of an alleged ‘’honour” attack.
2013 R v B & 9 others. Central Criminal Court. Successfully defended the second defendant in the “Sports agent Blackberry Phone murder“. Junior counsel in this 10 handed trial arising out of an alleged revenge contract killing in Canning Town.
2010/11 R v Miah [2011] Crim LR 662 and [2012] 1 Cr App R (S) 11
Central Criminal Court and Court of Appeal
Double murder by 14 year old in arson attack. Leading case on severance and on appropriate starting point on sentence where double murder committed by single act.
2009 R v YB. Inner London Crown Court. Successful defence of an 11 year old child charged with rape upon a 6 year old.
2008 R v Hamilton [2008] 1 Cr App R 13
Canterbury Crown Court and Court of Appeal. Junior defence counsel in the leading case on the actus reus of outraging public decency.
2008 R v Green & Others. Kingston Crown Court. Leading junior in multi handed conspiracy to commit armed robbery of travel agencies across the South East.
2007 R v Darvishzadeh & others. Kingston Crown Court. Leading Junior in largest conspiracy to import opium in UK.
2006 R v SW. Central Criminal Court. Junior defence counsel in the “Clapham Common Murder” homophobic motive.
2006 R v IA. Central Criminal Court. Junior counsel in successful defence of an ex-James Bond villain from “The Spy who Loved me” charged with murder.