SPECIALIST PRACTICE AREAS

Criminal/Civil Fraud

Serious Crime

Regulation/Compliance

Asset Forfeiture

Serious Sexual Offences

Health & Safety

Courts Martial

Inquests & Public Inquiries

APPOINTMENTS

Immediate past Leader of the South Eastern Circuit (01/01/2009 to 31/12/2010).

Bencher Lincoln’s Inn

AREAS OF INTEREST AND  NOTABLE CASES

Stephen Leslie QC has focused exclusively on criminal work, principally defending, for over 30 years. During that time he has built an outstanding track record, noted for his exceptional attention to detail and ability to absorb large amounts of documentation in often pressurised circumstances.

Fraud, corruption and financial crime form a substantial part of his practice. Stephen led in his first serious fraud trial over 30 years ago and has as Queen's Counsel appeared in numerous high profile fraud cases including a 15 month SFO prosecution defending an architect in a £multi-million charities fraud and a 3 month single handed SFO prosecution defending a sales director in a multi-national company. Stephen has appeared in almost every type of fraud including advance fee, mortgage, charity fraud, computer and letter of credit frauds, money laundering and insider dealing. Memorable high profile trials have included R v Wilkins, the first acquittal in an SFO case since Maxwell. This involved extensive video link cross examination of witnesses in the USA. Stephen's experience of corruption trials encompasses cases against the police and public officials, and he also appears in taxation appeals.

Stephen also specialises in regulatory law and has appeared and advised in a variety of cases including providing advice on the potential criminality of financial trading. He is similarly experienced in asset forfeiture and confiscation applications, especially in large and complex cases.

Stephen's extensive track record of violent crime is no less impressive. Stephen led in four murder trials before taking silk and he has maintained a healthy practice since. High profile cases included the widely reported Hungerford Bridge murder, where he represented the sole female defendant, and an eight-week gangland shooting trial, where he appeared for the main defendant.

Stephen appears regularly in pro bono criminal defence work before the Privy Council. Many of these cases are murder appeals from the Caribbean, including Mohit, an important decision concerning the power of the DPP in Mauritius to discontinue criminal prosecutions against the then Prime Minister.
Stephen also has a particular interest and unrivaled experience in representing barristers and solicitors in fee/taxation litigation at all levels, largely pro bono.

2011

FSA v D & Others

Complex “Boiler Room” fraud representing the internal company accountant alleged to have run numerous bank accounts.

International high profile fraud involving six different countries.

£28m involved through different companies, some of which had the Defendant as Company Director/Secretary.

4 month trial after which every other co-defendant convicted on all counts but D acquitted of all counts.

Virtually paperless case.

SFO v Davenport

Advance fee fraud c.£12m, rent fraud, ramping fraud and money laundering

Represented the main defendant

4 month trial

2010

CPS v Sainsbury

Major prisoners charity fraud

Representing the main defendant

4 month trial

RCPO v Crowther

International VAT fraud c.£20m

Representing the freight forwarder in UK and Spain

2009

CPS v Lavender

Attempting to pervert the course of justice in relation to a contract killing

8 week trial

CPS v Bell

Prosecuted a baby shaking case

Complex medical issues

CPS v Maguire

Major international drugs (cocaine and cannabis) conspiracy to import many £millions

Complicated confiscation proceedings for this defendant and one of the co-defendants (who Stephen was subsequently instructed to represent)

CPS v Davies

Prosecuted a trust fund fraud set up by the defendant's grandfather, Lord Davies

CPS v Cicenas

Murder trial

Main defendant in a 3 handed "cut throat"

2008

CPS v McGarvey

Attempted murder trial

2 handed "cut throat"

CPS v Anwar

Major bank fraud and money laundering trial involving £millions

Representing one of the main defendants

4 month trial

CPS v Broady

Murder trial

Representing a pensioner

2007

CPS v Hussain

Double murder

Representing 1 of the 2 alleged killers in a multi handed gang murders

8 month trial

CPS v Winblad

International multi-handed drugs conspiracy to import cocaine

8 week trial

2006

CPS v Austin

High profile alleged conspiracy to import drugs from Columbia and South America (cocaine and cannabis) and money laundering

11 month trial

Operation Windsor

Court Martial trial that took place in Iraq