Jane Bewsey QC

Criminal Law

Jane has extensive experience of prosecuting organised crime gangs engaged in drug trafficking and their linked financial activities including money laundering.

Between 2006 and 2009, she was instructed in relation to a series of linked cases arising from an intelligence led serious organised crime investigation and a joint investigatory initiative with Holland:

• R v Harris and 8 others Conspiracy to import cocaine.
• R v Thomas Money laundering.
• R v Smales and Smales Money laundering.
• R v Kurtisivek and 7 others Importing heroin, 8 defendants.
• R v Reynolds and 2 others Conspiracy to import cocaine.

Other Criminal Cases:

• R v Otusanya and Ugoh (2008): prosecuting this allegation of conspiracy to import cocaine from Africa to the UK over an 18 month period involving a large number of individual importations by between 15 and 20 different couriers. The prosecution was complex relying on previous prosecutions of couriers and evidence from abroad including Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Belgium, Switzerland, Holland and Ireland.
• R v Chambers and 3 others (2008): a SOCA investigation in which it was alleged that the principal defendant ran a “drugs warehouse” from his business premises from which drugs of every all class were recovered including largest ever quantity of amphetamine seized in the UK.

Fraud Law

Jane is thoroughly familiar with all aspects of disclosure, public interest immunity and confiscation issues. She is instructed in cases involving money laundering, tax evasion, corporate fraud, mortgage fraud, fraud targeting the NHS and in cases arising from the collapse of companies including allegations of fraudulent trading, insolvency offences, and breaches of company law and in immigration fraud cases including issues relating to diplomatic immunity.

Fraud & Corporate Crime and Proceeds of Crime

Prosecutes in serious and complex corporate fraud and tax cases instructed by CPS and the SFO (current prosecution panel member). She is currently [TS1] instructed in cases involving tax evasion, corporate fraud and money laundering.

Additionally, she has been instructed in cases arising from the collapse of companies including allegations of fraudulent trading, insolvency offences and breaches of company law.

Fraud Law Cases

R v Tyndale, Habib and others (2016 -17): prosecuting a series of trials involving 15 defendants alleging counts of conspiracy to defraud, conspiracy to money launder, money laundering and perverting the course of justice. It involved an international organised crime group which targeted NHS trusts, councils, educational institutions etc. by fraudulently diverting £12.6m from legitimate construction projects through a complex web of bank accounts, principally in the UK and Dubai.   Press Links: BBC

R v. Mohammed Aslam and Others (2016): prosecuted 7 defendants, including those responsible for organising the laundering of funds from a European VAT fraud: see R v Fulton and Wood (2017) EWCA Crim 308, R v Aslam (2017) EWCA Crim 277.

R v Purdie and others (2015): conspiracy to defraud by a number of corrupt professionals in NE England acting in breach of their professional obligations arising out of a £110m mortgage fraud.

R v Bojang and others (2014): prosecuted seven people, including four Gambian diplomats, for conspiracy to cheat the Revenue of £4.8m duty and tax evaded through a systematic abuse of the duty free scheme enjoyed by diplomatic missions in the UK.

R v Ghauri and Junejo (2014): prosecution of company directors involved in an immigration fraud, based upon the fraudulent obtaining of Sponsorship Licences to sponsor non EEA migrant workers under Tier 2 Points Based System and the laundering of the proceeds of the sale of so called “Work Permits” through a substantial series of complex financial movements.

R v Ravjani and others (Operation Inertia) (2007-2012): instructed as one of the prosecution team in one of the largest and most complex MTIC frauds to date:  17 defendants and five trials with estimated losses of £170m over a five month period.

R v Forde and Whellams (2012-2014): MTIC prosecution of Midlands based businessmen linked to Operation Inertia.