Caroline Haughey KC

Caroline Haughey OBE KC

Call: 1999 | Silk: 2018

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Caroline prosecutes and defends across a wide variety of the most serious and high profile criminal cases, with significant experience in a number of areas of health and safety law, regulatory work and associated areas such as inquests. She has developed a reputation for prosecuting and defending cases where ‘novel law’ and or sensitive matters are in issue.

Caroline has a particular interest in human trafficking, organised crime, firearms drugs and violence offences. As a result of her expertise in modern slavery offences she is frequently instructed by commercial organisations to review supply chain compliance and transparency, both domestically and internationally. In March 2024, she was appointed special advisor to the House of Lords’ Modern Slavery Act 2015 Committee.

Through both the criminal and regulatory aspects of her practice, Caroline has developed particular experience in disclosure both of national and internationally obtained material, medical disclosure, SOCPA agreements and associated material as well as phone and computer evidence and analysis. A recent conspiracy to murder trial was stayed on the grounds of abuse of process after 5 weeks of legal argument.

She has an extensive knowledge of general forensic, medico-forensic and ballistic evidence and has advised both prosecuting agencies and the defence on the various avenues of expert evidence that can be explored. She has extensive experience in prosecuting and defending 
in cases where internet material has been in dispute and has a working knowledge of various computer applications, encryption and software.

Caroline has experience in dealing with corporate manslaughter cases from a defence perspective. She has been instructed by both companies and individuals in the immediacy of the investigation – advising on interview, evidence recovery and tactical overview. Her experience as a former Grade 4 prosecutor enables her to provide useful insight on disclosure and charging standards. She has regularly undertaken the coronial aspect of proceedings and has advised on subsequent corporate compliance. She has a particular awareness of construction compliance, air accident investigation proceedings and medical causation.

Testimonials
‘Caroline is simply formidable. She is exceptionally bright, hardworking and very down to earth. She has a fantastic ability to digest vast quantities of information and to break it down into easy-to-understand concepts for a jury. She gets her points across in a structured and beautiful way allowing even difficult concepts to be easily understood. Moreover, Caroline is the foremost expert in human trafficking in the UK.'-Legal 500, 2025 (Tier 1, crime)
"Caroline is effervescent, enthusiastic and utterly charming – juries and judges take to her immediately. She is also a very effective advocate and a tough negotiator." -Tier 1, Legal 500
"Super bright, very dedicated and very hard-working, she's a whirlwind of a barrister." -Chambers UK, 2024
Human trafficking & slavery

Caroline is regarded as one of the leading legal experts in Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery in the UK. Having prosecuted the first case of modern slavery in the UK ( R-v- SK) Caroline was subsequently involved in advising the all parliamentary group on a proposed bill, gave evidence before the parliamentary committee and was subsequently involved in the drafting of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. She was sole author of the 216 Haughey Independent Review of the Modern Slavery Act and joint expert legal advisor the Independent Modern Slavery Act Review 2019.

She has prosecuted a number of firsts under the Act – first child sex exploitation, first child labour exploitation, first victimless prosecution and first interim Slavery Trafficking Restriction Orders amongst others. She has vast experience in prosecuting such cases particularly OCG and JIT based and successfully prosecuted Operation Fort the largest labour exploitation and trafficking case in Europe.

Her knowledge of this sector has led to frequent instruction by commercial entities caught by MSA 2015 section 54 (TISC) where compliance or risk exposure are in issue. She is regularly invited to undertake specific or wholesale reviews of supply chains or company procedures.

Caroline both lectures and advises on the law and policing in this area domestically and internationally to governments, academics, practitioners and law enforcement and has assisted a number of jurisdictions on the drafting, implementation and application of Modern Slavery Act.

General practice

Aside from her trafficking work she has acted as counsel for both the Defence and the Crown (as leading counsel) in a wide range of criminal offending focused on OCGs. (eg Op’s Brinzer, Wildwood, Ironwood).

She is regularly instructed in homicide cases and specifically those concerning young victims and or defendants.

Caroline also prosecuted the first offence of bribery under the Bribery Act 2010 and the subsequent 29 handed prosecution. Caroline was involved in the first cases signed under section 73 Serious Organised Crime and Police Act, the first prosecution of the importation of Ketamine in the United Kingdom as well as matters under RIPA s49. The Southwark Rapist, of whom Caroline was part of the successful prosecution team, received the first ever “life means life” sentence for a non-murder conviction.

Regulatory / HSE / Inquests

Caroline has a depth of experience in regulatory work including heath and safety, GOC, fire authority as well as pharmaceutical and veterinary practice and regulation ranging from incinerators to Lab ISO accreditation. As a passionate sports fan she is familiar with the ECB and England Hockey rules. She has succeeded in forcing a Local Authority to offer no evidence in a death in the work place allegation where there had been significant failings in disclosure at Reading Crown Court – “The Cure Tour at Bray Studios” as well as having a client successfully moved from a Person of Interest to Special advisor to the inquest during Coronial proceeding. She is regularly called in to advise in corporate / gross negligence manslaughter cases from the very outset of proceedings, advising companies on pre-emptive investigation and reputation management.

With her experience as an independent reviewer of legislation its application and implementation Caroline has developed a practice in conducting independent reviews with in police forces and other like organisations.

Lecturing & publications

Publications 2017-22

  • Joint Expert Legal Advisor to the 2nd Modern Slavery Review.
  • Sole Author of Independent Modern Slavery Review 2016 at direction of Home Secretary.
  • Contributing author to “Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery: Law and Practice” 2nd Edition
  • Contributing author of 4 chapters of CPAUK Modern Slavery E Handbook for Parliamentarians.

Lectures 2018-24

  • Modern Slavery, 9 May 2024
  • 8th Annual Irish Criminal Justice Agencies Conference
  • Modern Slavery Workshop for Qatari justice practitioners ( Beyond Borders)
  • Cambridge University CCARHT symposium
  • CBA Spring lecture on successful OCG prosecutions
  • British Embassy, Prosecutors Course, Sofia, Bulgaria.
  • TNOC Conference contributor, Cambridge University
  • De Montfort University Violence against the Vulnerable
  • CPS JIT workshop. – international evidence and admissibility
  • Negating Human Slavery Workshop
  • UN ODC – Modern Slavery the UK Approach at request of UK Government
  • RUSI Lecture – Modern Slavery
  • Commonwealth Parliamentarians – Drafting a Modern Slavery Act 2017 & 2018
  • Policing Modern Slavery Conference
    Chartered Accountants Worldwide
  • SEC Lecture on Vulnerabilities

Media

Caroline also advises on scripts, productions and books concerning crime and the justice system and is regularly interviewed by the media in relation to the criminal law and its application – she is a regular contributor to Times, Radio and LBC amongst others and was the main contributor to the multi–award winning program “Slavery on Our Streets”

Recent Cases

R v Anghel (2023)  54 Romanian female with a lengthy but controlled psychiatric history and suffering from Cushings disease stabbed her 5-year-old grandson to death.  It was clear that at the time she was suffering from an acute psychotic episode with paranoid schizophrenia.  After significant written submissions and multiple psychiatric reports, the Crown conceded that this not murder but rather manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility.  Further legal argument ensued between the Crown and defence in relation to the nature of the appropriate sentence and as result it was conceded by the Crown that a hybrid order would not be correct but rather section s. 37 and s. 41 of the MHA act. News story here

 

Memberships

  • Modern Slavery Task Force – Led By the Prime Minister
  • Home Office Working Group on Adult Sex Websites
  • Modern Slavery Police Transformation Programme Strategic Oversight Board
  • Criminal Bar Association
  • South Eastern Circuit
  • Middle Temple
  • BSB Conduct Committee 2011 – 2017
  • Inspector for Bar Standards Board of Bar Vocational Course providers(retired)
  • External Examiner (Crime) for Bar Standards Board(retired).
  • Kalisher Trust
  • The Anti Slavery Collective – Trustee
  • Human Trafficking Advisory Council, McCain Institute, USA
  • Provosts Committee, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
  • White Ensign – Trustee

  • Chambers & partners ranked UK Bar 2024
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