OVERVIEW

Andrew has been in continuous practice at the Criminal Bar since 1986. In addition to practising from Apex Chambers in Cardiff, he practices from Church Court Chambers in London.

 

He has nationwide practice and has been instructed in some of the most serious, and high profile cases over the last 30 years. He has an extensive experience of VHCC cases, and regularly accepts instructions in private cases.

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He has secured posthumous acquittals and compensation in the case of Timothy Evans (10, Rillington Place) and Mahmood Mattan (The last man to be hanged in Wales) 

 

Up until 2011, Andrew was a Grade 4 Prosecutor, but since that time he has chosen only to accept defence briefs. 

 

Apart from his work in the courts as a Defence Barrister, he is regularly retained by the BBC to advise, commentate and provide expert opinion on legal affairs and contemporary legal issues, and has done so since 1992. More recently he has provided the same expert commentary and opinion for Times Radio. 

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CURRENT INSTRUCTIONS

Andrew is instructed to represent the lead Defendant in the “Penylan Murder” which is said by the Prosecution to be the biggest murder investigation in South Wales for over 10 years. The allegation is that an Albanian OCG are involved in the murder of a man in the course of an intended drugs theft. 

 

He is currently instructed in four separate “Operation Venetic” drugs conspiracies, where the Crown are seeking to rely on Encro Chat evidence to show how co-conspirators are communicating with one another in very large scale drug supply. 

 

Andrew is also instructed in two separate Attempted Murder cases, with are to be tried in the forthcoming months. 

 

In Bournemouth Crown Court, he is the Leading Junior for a Defendant charged in “Operation Map” which involves an Albanian OCG based in Dorset, who are said to be involved in  large scale supply of Cocaine. 

 

R v L is a case where a Defendant is alleged to have committed rapes as well as other serious sexual assaults against a family member over 40 years ago. 

 

Operation Chicago (Liverpool Crown Court) is a case involving a multi handed drugs conspiracy where the Prosecution say that a Merseyside OCG send drugs to various parts of England and Wales. 

 

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RECENT CASES

Operation Snowball was a case tried in Harrow Crown Court in 2019. It involved fraud and international money laundering. Andrew’s client was the only client to be acquitted in the case. 

 

Operation Helix (2019) was a nine week case that was tried in Worcester Crown Court. It involved a high value, heritage crime investigation involving the discovery, retention and disposal of high value 9th Century artefacts. Andrew has successfully defeated a Proceeds of Crime claim against his client in that case. His client was the only defendant not to lose his liberty at the end of that trial. 

 

Operation Anvil (2019) Liverpool Crown Court. Andrew secured an acquittal for his client in this case which involved a Liverpool OCG, who were involved in the supply of Class A and Class B drugs between March 2017 and July 2018. This was a conspiracy where the main Defendant received a sentence of more than 20 years. It was a huge conspiracy with an international dimension, and also involved firearms and explosives. 

 

R v Rasol and others (Birmingham Crown Court 2018) This was a case where two rival gangs had a street battle late at night, which culminated in one of the young men losing his life. 

 

Operation Violet Anvil (2017) This was a conspiracy to supply large quantities of Class A and Class B drugs to various parts of Wales.

 

Operation Violet Panama (2017) This was a case where a Vietnamese OCG were involved in producing industrial quantities of cannabis from numerous locations in South and West Wales. 

 

R v Bennett & Bennett (2016) This was a murder case where the victim was an employee of HMRC, who had become involved in drug supply. He then had a dispute over money owed to him for drugs. The defendants were convicted of shooting him twice at very close range with a sawn off shot gun, having lured him to a location. It was said by the judge to be tantamount to a gangland killing. 

 

Operation Perali (2016) this was a case that was tried in the Inner London Crown Court and lasted 5 weeks. It involved large scale VAT evasion by several companies. 

 

Operation Dino (2015) These were cases that came to be known in the press as “Cash for Crash” and involved the defrauding of insurance companies out of millions of pounds. Andrew represented no fewer than 17 Defendants (out of the 90 or so charged in this conspiracy) and during the trials that took place, he was the only Counsel to secure two acquittals.  

 

R v Capp (2015) Andrew appeared without a Leader in this murder case, where the Defendant was convicted of killing his cellmate whilst in HMP Cardiff. 

 

R v Jackson (2014) Andrew appeared without a Leader is this murder case, which involved the Defendant killing his step mother, a successful poet and leading academic. 

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OTHER NOTABLE CASES

“Operation Wolfram I” (2002) This was a conspiracy to pervert the course of justice arising out of civil proceedings. Two of the Defendants charged in the case were practising solicitors. Andrew appeared as a Leading Junior in the case and all Defendants were acquitted. 

 

R v Thompson and Others (2003) This was a case where the indictment alleged both a murder and a conspiracy to murder. The allegation was that a gang travelled down from Glasgow to South Wales, to exact revenge. As a result, one person was murdered and another was very badly burned in a separate arson attack, where petrol was used to set fire to a property in the early hours of the morning. 

 

“Operation Corolla” (2003) Andrew appeared as a Leading Junior in this case, where there was high profile Class A drugs supply, that centred on a Yardie gang. 

 

R v Timothy Nicolai and Others (2004) This was a VHCC case involving a high profile investigation arising out of First Vehicle Contracts, a nationwide leasing company. 

 

“Operation Wolfram II” (2012) This was a VHCC case where Andrew appeared as a Leading Junior. The case had taken over 10 years to investigate and bring to trial. The Crown described it as a conspiracy to launder funds which came from fraud and international drug dealing. There were monies said to be held in Lithuania, Gibraltar, Spain, the United States and other European countries. Andrew mounted both a Dismissal argument and an abuse argument. The case never reached trial, as the judge acceded to the Dismissal argument. 

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