Julian Winship

Julian Winship is a dedicated criminal barrister of proven ability, with a wealth of experience both defending and prosecuting. He conducts a wide range of work, with a recent focus on terrorism, serious violent crime including attempted murder, causing death by dangerous driving, the possession of firearms with intent to endanger life, corruption, kidnapping and blackmail, the importation and supply of Class A drugs, sexual offences, including rape and controlling prostitution, and people trafficking. He has appeared for the defence or prosecution in 10 murder trials during the last 10 years.

His significant cases include instruction in a series of three, linked multi-handed murder trials at the Central Criminal Court, together with prosecuting, as led junior counsel, the first murder committed in the Republic of Ireland to be tried in the U.K.

In 2008 he led for the defence in an eight-week, £2 million fraud, defended in a four-week multi-assailant rape trial and represented one of six defendants in a high-profile sex trafficking trial at Southwark Crown Court. In 2009 he defended in a £6 million Ponzi-style investment fraud and represented a defendant indicted for importing automatic firearms and hollow-point ammunition. In 2010 he led for the defence in a multi-handed immigration fraud lasting for twelve weeks.

In 2012 he defended one of four men charged with laundering in excess of €30m of money directly linked to the European drug trade and had reported one of the leading authorities on non-insane automatism.

In the last 3 years he has represented defendants in long trials involving complex frauds on the rail network’s ticketing system, the appropriation of client funds held on trust and large-scale handling of stolen mobile telephone handsets. He has very recent experience representing mentally disordered defendants charged with grave crimes, including terrorist offences, and those receiving orders under the Mental Health Act. 2017 and 2018 saw him prosecute 3 multi-handed kidnapping cases, the first of which was conducted on behalf of the Modern Slavery and Kidnap Unit.

Fraud also forms an important part of Julian’s current workload. His experience includes prosecuting two heavy multi-handed Tax Credit frauds as well as using that experience to defend, as a leading junior, defendants charged with similar offences. He has worked in the Health & Safety regulatory field and has a particular interest in Inquest Law.

Julian has a strong, practical knowledge of all issues relating to disclosure, having been assigned the responsibility of co-ordinating responses in each of the homicide trials prosecuted within his case list. He also advises pre-charge and advises civil clients on the potential impact of criminal investigations. He is a registered CPS Advocate Panel Prosecutor, an approved pupil supervisor and a member of the South Eastern Circuit, the Criminal Bar Association. He is co-author of ‘Cross-Contamination: Time to Extend the Abuse of Process Doctrine?’ [2003] Crim. L.R. 446. His case list shows the depth of his experience.

Notable cases

R v S, C and another (2006)

Three-month long Operation Trident murder trial involving eye-witness evidence from anonymous witnesses.

R v W and others (2007)

Reported as the ‘matching undies call-girl trial’ in the Daily Star, heard at Southwark Crown Court for five weeks. The trial concerned then untested legislation in the context of an escort agency allegedly controlling prostitution by providing willing escorts with contacts for work.

R v P and others (2008)

Six-week sex trafficking trial involving six defendants allegedly involved at each stage of the trafficking chain. [2010] 2 Cr.App.R.(S.) 2.

R v Z (2009)

Representing the defendant who was charged with importing automatic firearms, prohibited ammunition and a large quantity of drugs.

R v B and others (2010)

Twelve-week trial alleging a conspiracy to subvert the U.K. immigration system by providing false documentation to a large number of applicants to obtain leave to remain in this country. The defendants included a practicing solicitor and general practitioner. Leading junior for the defence.

R v K-B (2011)

Representing the personal assistant to a London-based ‘supermodel’, charged with a systematic fraud on her employer, widely reported in the national press.

R v D and others (2012)

Representing one of the 2 main defendants in an eight-week money laundering trial involving the exchange of some €30m.

R v B (2012)

Defending a man charged with murder as a result of an attack on a man that led to his death some 2 weeks later, by reason of complications arising out of that attack.

R v M and others (2013)

Representing a man charged with wounding with intent and seeking to argue that he was not culpable, by reason of his pre-existing catastrophic tinnitus and the defendant choosing to over-medicate as a result of that condition, leading to a loss of conscious control. The subsequent Court of Appeal case has become the most recent significant authority on insanity and non-insane automatism. [2013] MHLR 171; [2013] Crim.L.R. 923.

R v L (2013)

Defending a man charged with the planned armed robbery of a small business owner which, when carried out, resulted in serious injury to the victim. The subsequent Court of Appeal case has been reported on the application of the SGC robbery guidelines. [2014] 1 Cr.App.R.(S.) 21.

R v B and others (2013)

Defending one of 3 defendants charged with a large and unusual conspiracy to cause criminal damage by the relentless use of high-powered catapults to damage cars, houses and shops over some 10 weeks.

R v H (2014)

A high-profile prosecution at Blackfriars Crown Court of a prolific graffiti artist with work displayed on the railway network both within the U.K. and Europe.

R v B (2014)

Representing a youth of 15 charged with the near-fatal stabbing of a neighbour.

R v H, K and others (2014)

Defending 2 defendants in linked trials at the Central Criminal Court involving allegedly sectarian protests and the dissemination of material relating to the practice of Islam, in the West End of London, that led to serious public disorder.

R v D and others (2014)

Defending the business manager of a well-respected firm of loss adjusters charged with dishonestly diverting approximately £1m of client money, in an 8-week trial at Leeds Crown Court.

R v A and others (2014)

Complex case involving the systematic subversion of the ticketing system in train ticket offices in the South-East of England. The defendant was charged as one of the main conspirators but severed from the main trial by delays occasioned by her mental ill health. The trial lasted for 7 weeks.

R v C (2015)

Defending sexual offence counts including rape alongside a series of violent offences against 2 women.

R v E and L (2015)

Prosecuting 2 defendants at the Central Criminal Court charged with the importation of a large quantity of cocaine.

R v D (2015)

Prosecuting a defendant charged with the possession of firearms with intent to endanger life, the supply of controlled drugs and the possession of large amounts of criminal property.

R v H (2015)

Prosecuting 4 counts of child cruelty. 2 children aged 11 and 9 were called in this sensitive prosecution.

R v M (2015)

Defending M on one count of preparing for terrorist acts. The defendant had a low IQ and suffered from severe mental illness necessitating the calling of expert evidence. (2017) 161(16) S.J. 37, C.A.; CLW/17/16/1 [Lord Thomas CJ, Spencer J, Dingemans J]

R v M and others (2016) Harrow Crown Court

Defending M in a conspiracy to blackmail. It was alleged that he, with 3 others, systematically threatened a wealthy local entrepreneur, seeking to gain a large quantity of money, knowing that others had destroyed the entrepreneur’s business premises.

R v T and others (2016) Central Criminal Court

Prosecuting 3 defendants charged with a conspiracy to handle motorbikes, which were then provided for use as hard-to-trace vehicles used in serious crime. The evidence called included extensive testimony from undercover officers deployed.

R v R (2016) Blackfriars Crown Court

Defending R in a complex breach of trust fraud upon his employer.

R v B and others (2016) Norwich Crown Court

Defending B on a murder count, as a led junior with a demarcated role involving the preparation of all legal arguments and expert witness instruction. The case included complex pathology and fibre evidence.

R v H and others (2017) Central Criminal Court

Prosecuting 3 defendants as a single advocate charged with kidnapping and causing grievous bodily harm with intent. The case included extensive telephone traffic and cell site analysis.

R v C and others (2017) Blackfriars Crown Court

Defending C on a conspiracy to pervert the course of justice count arising out of his, allegedly successful, attempt to discourage the main eye-witness to a murder from giving evidence.

R v S (2017) Southwark Crown Court

Prosecuting S, a corrupt HMRC officer, on a charge of misconduct in a public office relating to his extensive access of HMRC systems for personal gain.

R v T and others (2017) Snaresbrook Crown Court

Prosecuting 5 defendants as a single advocate in this 5-week kidnapping and firearms trial.

R v A (2017) Inner London Crown Court

Defending a man facing a charge of attempted murder. The allegation was that he threatened to kill his flatmate and then threw him from a second floor window causing catastrophic injuries.

R v I and others (2018) Snaresbrook Crown Court

Prosecuting 4 defendants as a single advocate on charges of supply large quantities of Class A drugs, kidnapping and false imprisonment.

R v M (2018) Woolwich Crown Court

Prosecuting a defendant facing multiple counts of causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.