Kemi has a successful Criminal Practice in both Defence and Prosecution work. She is instructed in the most serious of cases including Murder, Attempted Murder, section 18 GBH with intent, and Serious Fraud and Money Laundering offences.
Kemi appears daily in the Crown Court as a Leading junior, junior alone, or led-junior. She has also appeared in the Court of Appeal in a number of matters.
Kemi is a persuasive advocate, particularly when it comes to cross-examination and addressing a Jury.
In her defence practice, Kemi is known for fighting her clients’ cases fearlessly. Her manner is calm, yet confident, which puts both her professional and lay clients at ease.
Kemi is a grade 3 Prosecutor. She is also on the Serious Crime and Fraud Specialist panels. Kemi endeavours to provide practical advice early on in proceedings to ensure that any gaps in evidence are addressed in advance of trial. In Court, she presents each case fiercely, but fairly and she has the ability to put even the most anxious or nervous witness at ease, enabling them to give their best evidence.
Overall, Kemi’s success is attributable to her excellent advocacy skills, diligence, eye for detail and strong interpersonal skills.
Attempted Murder - R v HM & Others (2024) – Snaresbrook Crown Court Successfully represented a Defendant charged with attempted murder, wounding with intent to cause GBH and having an offensive weapon. The Prosecution alleged he was involved in an attempt by affiliates of an East London gang to kill a rival gang member, by stabbing him in front of members of the public in a busy town centre and severely injuring him. The plan was said to have been set out in extensive social group messaging, and CCTV footage showed the defendant travelling towards the scene with others and running away from the scene following the stabbing, discarding a knife. The acquittal followed a 7-week trial.
Violent Disorder – R v RA & Others (2024) – Snaresbrook Crown Court Successfully represented a Defendant alleged to have been involved in large scale violence between two groups where weapons including knives and baseball bats were used to cause serious injuries on both sides. The ‘fight’ was said to have been instigated by the defendant who the Prosecution alleged had called for back-up from his family members following an initial unprovoked assault on him (and his uncle). His acquittal followed a 12-day Jury trial.
Child Cruelty - R v JII (2022) – Snaresbrook Crown Court Secured the acquittal of a Senior Primary School teacher charged with eight counts of wilfully assaulting and ill-treating students under her care. Successfully utilised various strands of evidence including material obtained following repeated section 8 applications for disclosure and a successful non-defendant bad character application to show a very different narrative to that alleged. The Jury unanimously acquitted of all counts following a 15-day trial.
Murder - R v DN (2021) – Harrow Crown Court Led-Junior Counsel – Successfully represented teenage Defendant charged with the fatal stabbing of another teenager, who together with two others had chased the Defendant and his friends off a bus with large knives and had tried to stab him. Self-defence was successfully raised before the Jury
Money Laundering - R v SO & others (2020) - Southwark Crown Court Secured acquittal of a Defendant charged with five others of entering into a money-laundering arrangement to the value of over £4½m and individually charged with concealing criminal property in the sum of over £800,000. Legal argument over the inaccuracy of the Crown’s financial evidence resulted in the Crown offering no evidence on day two of the trial.
Firearms - R v AB (2018) Harrow Crown Court Successfully represented a Defendant charged with Possession of a firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence. The Defendant was alleged to have fired the weapon in a multi-occupancy property, right outside his neighbour’s door having tried to gain access to the room (with the neighbour inside) following a drunken dispute.
Firearms - R v GS (2017) Wood Green Crown Court Successfully represented a Defendant charged with Possession of a prohibited firearm. The Defendant was linked to the firearm through DNA evidence. Images of firearms and the content of rap lyrics found on his phone were deployed by the Prosecution in an attempt to demonstrate an unhealthy interest in firearms and the use of violence. He was unanimously acquitted.
Fraudulent evasion of the prohibition on a class B drug and being concerned in the supply a class A drug - R v TW & RT (2025) - Chelmsford Crown Court Successfully prosecuted two Defendants involved in the importation of kilograms of cannabis into the UK as well as the purchase of Cocaine at kilo-level and its onward sale in the UK.
Corporate Crime / Fraud - Operation Maclura - R v PS (2024–2025) Southwark Crown Court Led-Junior Counsel in the politically sensitive prosecution of a former Solicitor of the Year for fraud in relation to £3m of Legal Aid arising from Iraq War claims. Involved complex LPP and crime/fraud privilege exception review and litigation.
The Defendant was convicted, and Confiscation is ongoing. See News stories Here and Here.
Arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered and Witness Intimidation - R v JC (2024) - Inner London Crown Court
Successfully prosecuted a Defendant who having taken umbrage against a perceived slight by a customer and the owner of a South-London Cafe, returned to the location in the early hours when the cafe had closed, but the owner and two others were still inside. He smashed the glass doors with a hammer and threw a 'Molotov cocktail' towards the cafe causing fire damage. a few days later, he attended the venue and made threats to the owner after he became aware that she had reported him to the police for the original offence.
People Smuggling and Money Laundering - Operation Correspond - R v AL and others (2023) - Snaresbrook Crown Court
Led-Junior Counsel in people-smuggling and high-value money laundering by Albanian Organised Crime Group. First case in which the Metropolitan Police charged the new offence (as it then was) of Facilitating a Breach of Immigration Law by a Non-UK National. Defendants were convicted following trial in relation to a sophisticated international network of lorry routes from Europe using corrupted Romanian drivers to bring in Albanian economic migrants to work in cannabis factories across the UK. See News stories here and here.
Conspiracy to fraudulently evade the prohibition on a class A drug and to supply a class A drug -R v CH & VC (2021) - Canterbury Crown Court
Successfully prosecuted two Defendants involved in an agreement to import kilograms of cocaine into the UK organised via Encro-chat. The Cocaine, shipped to the UK in powder form was concealed within paintings and books. Once it arrived in the UK, they converted it into rocks/solid form by them and supplied it in wholesale quantities in this form to their UK customers.
Money Laundering - R v TA & DI (2020) – Kingston Crown Court
Successfully prosecuted two defendants who laundered funds of approximately £200,000. These funds had been derived from frauds committed against company, individual bank accounts and romance scams. The funds were laundered through personal bank accounts held by the defendants as well as a supposed ‘charity’ account. They were both unanimously convicted following a 10-day trial.
Money Laundering - R v JW & Others (2017) (2018) – Luton Crown Court
Leading Counsel in two trials involving a total of nine defendants charged with money laundering offences, arising out of a boiler room fraud. The total amount laundered was approximately £2.8m. Secured convictions for seven of the nine.
Languages: Yoruba
Memberships: Criminal Bar Association; South Eastern Circuit; Gray’s Inn
https://furnivalchambers.co.uk/kemi-fapohunda-secures-the-acquittal-of-her-client-charged-with-violent-disorder/
https://furnivalchambers.co.uk/kemi-fapohunda-secures-the-acquittal-of-her-client-charged-with-attempted-murder-wounding-with-intent-to-cause-gbh-and-having-an-offensive-weapon/