Liam is a specialist criminal barrister consistently instructed in high profile cases across the full gamut of serious criminal offences.
Liam is known for his fearless approach to advocacy , forensic analysis of paper-heavy cases and his persuasive manner with the jury. Recent cases include acting as led junior for the first defendant in a 5-month murder trial at the Old Bailey, leading junior on a 12 week multi-million pound conspiracy to defraud as well as multiple drugs conspiracies involving importation of industrial amounts of class A drugs as well as representing alleged Organised Criminal Groups.
Liam also appears frequently in the Court of Appeal against appeal and conviction, including in a number of reported cases.
R v BR (2024) Currently being led for the first defendant in a seven-handed murder trial listed for 12 weeks at the Old Bailey. The case involves an allegation of murder and two counts of attempted murder arising from what is alleged to be an ongoing turf war between drugs gangs in South-East London involving the ambush of the deceased in a pre-planned shooting. The case involves complex evidence in relation to cell site and forensic evidence in a case involving over 80,000 pages of prosecution evidence. News story here
R v Georgo Asllani (2024) Attempted murder trial as junior alone, relating to an allegation that the defendant attended the work place of the complainant and attempted to shoot him in the head with a pistol in a case that was alleged to be connected to drugs supply and the Albanian mafia. After a three-week trial the defendant was acquitted of attempted murder but convicted of grievous bodily harm at St Albans Crown Court. The case involved complex areas of ballistics and forensic evidence and the nature of the Albanian Criminal Code relating the defendant’s previous conviction for homicide in Albania. The defendant was sentenced on 24 th February 2024 to 13 years imprisonment. News story here
R v SE (2023) Attempted murder wherein the defendant stood trial in relation to an allegation that he had thrust a machete through the neck of the complainant intending to kill him. The machete remained in situ and was removed during surgery. The case involved a defendant with complex mental health needs with an IQ of 62 (equivalent to a seven year-old child). The defendant was initially found unfit to stand trial due to his learning disability but was found fit after further assessments by psychiatrists. Following repeated requests for disclosure further information was disclosed (that is confidential) during the trial that lead to the Crown accepting a plea to section 18 grievous bodily harm as an alternative to attempted murder and a period of twenty-five years in prison. News story here
R v SL (2022) Junior alone in a six-handed multi-million-pound conspiracy to defraud Transport for London valued at £20 million. This case was part of a series of cases that related to more than a dozen foreign nationals operating a large-scale fraud against Transport for London. The case involved a network of false names, fraudulent identities and counterfeit travel documents as well as a myriad web of telecommunication data and cell site in numerous different languages.
R v GA (2023) Attempted murder relating to an allegation that the defendant attended the work place of the complainant and attempted to shoot him in the head with a pistol. After a three-week trial the defendant was acquitted of attempted murder but convicted of grievous bodily harm. The defendant maintained that the incident was connected to an ongoing feud and threat from the Albanian mafia. News story here
R v MS Led junior on a murder
R v AG Led junior on a multi-handed murder at the Old Bailey
R v AI Attempted murderR v MM Importation of 200 kilos of cocaine
R v AA Large-scale drugs conspiracy to supply crack and heroin
R v SK Conspiracy to supply heroin throughout the UK in multi-kilo amounts
R v AG Successful defence of duress for supplying 10 kilos of cocaine
R v SL Multi-million pound fraud against TFL valued at circa £20 million
R v R Multi-defendant, multi-million pound bank fraud
R v HR Complex death by dangerous driving involving multiple experts
R v DG Armed robbery involving the discharge of a firearm
R v DW Possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life in gang shooting
R v JL Importation of firearms (converted Glock machine pistols)
Criminal Judicial Review (Hart Publishing), co-author and contributor to the practitioner handbook
CCPS Guides to Ugandan Law on Hearsay, Disclosure and Identification evidence, published online and free to access to all Ugandan Lawyers through the Ugandan Law Society and UNAFRI websites
Plea Bargaining in the UK report presented to a delegation from the Bar of Singapore
Reforming the Law Concerning Physician Assisted Suicide (2009) Law Reform Committee Essay Competition, Prize Winner
Bar Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year – shortlisted 2013
Law Reform Committee Essay Competition, prize winner
Gray’s Inn Internship Scholarship (Charles Taylor trial in the Hague)
Ede & Ravenscroft Legal Prize
Gray’s Inn Student of the Year 2008
Gray’s Inn Debating Competition winner
APEX Debating Competition winner
ICSL Law School, BVC
University of Cambridge BA/ LLB (Law), M.A
Joyce Frankland Academy