Our Expertise
St Pauls Chambers provides legal services throughout the UK and worldwide. We are known for providing excellence in our areas of focus.
As a leading barristers chambers in Leeds, our expertise span the depth and breadth of a number of key areas of law.
Our People
St Pauls Chambers have an excellent team of Barristers, Clerks & Administration, with our barristers including KC’s, Members and Pupils.
View our teams in full detail, or browse by expertise to find a barrister.
Call 1998 | Silk 2023
Nick has built a reputation as an expert in heavyweight crime and complex investigations. He has an impressive breadth of knowledge spanning diverse legal and forensic disciplines.
He has appeared in a wide range of the most serious criminal cases, including murder and manslaughter, international fraud, smuggling, sexual crime and gang warfare.
Nick has extensive experience of dealing with complicated scientific and technical evidence including forensic pathology, arson investigations, financial and computing crime.
As well as criminal proceedings he represents police officers, medical staff and members of the armed forces in misconduct cases and disciplinary hearings.
R v BA
Represented a son who, together with his father, was alleged to have stabbed his brother-in-law to death in a so called ‘honour’ killing. Acquitted.
R v LR & Others
Murder – Represented a 15 year old involved in a ‘joint enterprise’ attack on a 16 year old.
R v KW
Defended an allegation of murder against a 17 year old who stabbed a drug boss who attached him. Acquitted, convicted of manslaughter.
R v- DW
Defence murder trial within members of the homeless community.
R v HR
Defence – murder by a drugs gang enforcer of a man who had robbed a drugs stash house.
R v WA
Murder – Prosecuted WA who killed his wife in attempting to behead her.
R v C & Others
Murder – Prosecuted Lithuanian gangsters who murdered a gang-master and concealed his body.
R v JG
Represented a full-life triple murderer who with another tried to kill fellow inmate with improvised weapons in maximum security prison.
R v CW
Represented a mother with complex mental health issues who attempted to murder her son believing he was possessed by the devil.
R v WP
Defence – Conspiracy to murder. Alleged to have set up an execution by entrapment and shooting. Acquitted.
R v WM
Defence – Attempted murder, S18 and rape, Irish gangland hitman attacked his partner and a man he thought was a love rival. Man particularly vulnerable as had half his skull removed following an accident. Acquitted of attempted murder and rape.
R v FK
Defence – attempted murder of another schoolboy. Defendant 15 years old.
R v TK
Defence – attempted murder of his parents by mentally ill defendant . Acquitted.
R v SW
Represented a young father with mental health problems alleged to have caused catastrophic head and brain injuries to his 11 month-old child. Acquitted.
R v DB & Others
Led by Mark George KC representing the alleged mastermind of a revenge execution arising from gang violence. Uncovered police misconduct and planting of evidence leading to acquittal. At the conclusion of the trial a judicial inquiry into police conduct was ordered.
R v UD & Other
Led by the late Courteney Griffiths KC represented the ringleader in conspiracy to murder involving the use of sophisticated tracking and surveillance techniques.
R v SM
Led by Abbas Lakha KC representing the man alleged to have killed a family of eight by arson. He was extradited from Pakistan after years on the run.
R v KM
Charged with murder and a series of other serious woundings over a period of six weeks. Acquitted of murder, convicted of manslaughter by reason of loss of self-control.
R v TZ
Murder in the course of robbery. Mastermind. Extradition case. Complicated by the Crown calling one of the previously convicted co-accused against TZ.
R v SQ
Defence – torture and murder of a drug gang member who had fallen from favour. Acquitted , other four defendants convicted.
R v JB
Defence – 13 year old charged with joint enterprise murder robbery that resulted in death. Acquitted of murder.
R v JP
Defence – Murder – suicidal ideation in victim – somnambulism – where the issues were whether the deceased was suicidal or could have sleep-walked to her death. Acquitted.
R v DC
Representing a mother with complex mental health issues who was alleged to have allowed her adult son to starve to death and also concealed the birth of another child, hiding the corpse in a rucksack in her bedroom wardrobe for 14 years.
R v SD
Alleged revenge attacks by two brothers on members of the EDL leadership following an attack on a local mosque – Acquitted.
Prosecutorial Misconduct
Nick has considerable experience in rooting out police misconduct against defendants. In DB he was part of the team representing the alleged mastermind of a revenge execution arising from gang violence. Nick uncovered police misconduct and planting of evidence. After the jury acquitted the defendant the Judge ordered and inquiry into police conduct.
In ZK he successfully argued abuse of process after the police lied to the defendant about forensic evidence that they said inculpated him.
Honour Crimes
Nick has represented defendants in numerous so-called ‘honour’ crime, including murder, kidnap and forced marriage.
R v MM – Defended father in UK’s first forced marriage prosecution.
R v BA – Represented a son who, together with his father, was alleged to have killed his brother in law.
R v SM – Represented a man charged with eight counts of murder resulting from an arson attack.
R v BR & Others
The biggest international drugs conspiracy in UK history worth more than £3 billion. Represented the head of the Dutch contingent who masterminded shipping tons of drugs at a time and setting up banking facilities for the operation.
R v AQ & Others
Cross-border investigation involving extensive use of ILORs/Communications rogatoires with complex inter-jurisdictional issues.
R v SV
World-wide drug and Bitcoin money laundering conspiracy involving corrupt customs and border officials.
‘Grooming’ cases – Nick has been involved in many grooming cases across the country, both prosecuting and defending. He has been praised for his ability to del with vulnerable defendants and witnesses with skill and sensitivity.
R v JB
Nick prosecuted an international musician for the sexual abuse of children and young men over decades. He advised on charges and lines of enquiry for police teams around the country and overseas as a result of which more victims were identified, further charges were laid and the defendant was convicted after trial.
R v WA
Representing a man charged with historic rape allegations where there was substantial evidence to cross-contamination of witness accounts and police malpractice. The submission that there was no case to answer succeeded.
R v DH
Represented a music teacher at a public school who had sexually abused pupils over the course of his career.
R v W
Represented a 13 year-old defendant accused of rape and serious sexual offences against children aged 4-14 who lived on his street and attended his school. There was considerable hostility against him and his family in the community leading to demonstrations and extreme pressure being placed on all parties in the case. The trial was beset with difficulties and the Judge, perhaps understandably given the emotive nature of the allegations and the vulnerability of the witnesses, was in danger of losing sight of the needs of the defendant (immature, suffering from ADHD and a personality disorder). Nick had to ensure special measures were put in place for ‘W’ so that he could understand proceedings and engage in his trial. This led to direct conflict with the Judge and his views on how this reconciled with the needs of prosecution witnesses and how the case should be conducted. Throughout the trial Nick had to warn the Judge, politely but firmly, against the dangers of exceeding his authority and being perceived as partisan. Following days of deliberations the defendant was acquitted on all counts.
R v MH
Rape and assaults involving forensic odontology. Nick had the bite-mark evidence excluded-ruled as junk science- first such case in the UK.
Nick has great experience conducting complicated and lengthy fraud cases. This includes advising on prosecuting a multi-million pound Ponzi scheme and also advising the prosecution on international smuggling conspiracies.
R v FH
UK’s largest ever vishing fraud [£160m] committed against businesses, solicitors and football clubs.
R v AH
A multi-million-pound mortgage fraud requiring detailed analysis of legislation and recent statutory amendments that govern the financial and banking sectors. Successfully argued that alleged confessions to Financial Conduct Authority investigators made by my client were inadmissible in this criminal trial.
R v SH & Others
People trafficking and modern slavery run by solicitors – Acquitted.
Nick has considerable experience in cases involving gross-negligence manslaughter – including workplace deaths and a death at a riding school; also cases involving liability of premises owners in relation to serious injuries.
He has represented medical staff in cases involving allegations of assault, neglect and cruelty.
He has also advised and represented care organisations and nursing homes in relation to regulatory and health and safety breaches.
Nick represents police officers – in both their criminal and disciplinary proceedings.
RC
RC was prosecuted for failing to exercise the duties and privileges of a constable. Nick successfully represented the office in criminal proceedings and, following acquittal, in the subsequent disciplinary proceedings.
HG
Successfully represented the officer in his assault trial and then represented him in his subsequent disciplinary hearing.
LJ
Successfully represented officer in dangerous driving allegation where he was alleged to have used his vehicle as a weapon. Plea to careless driving accepted and at his disciplinary hearing misconduct rather than gross misconduct was found.
SH
Misconduct by police officer – alleged o have conspired to access and sell information form the police command and control computer system.
DW
Acquittal on allegations of sexual assaults by a serving police officer.
DM
Representing an officer charged with sexual misconduct.
JH
Theft of drugs and money from crime scenes by a serving police officer.
SS
Successfully represented an officer accused of malicious communications.
Nick has served on the Bar Council as an elected member and is part of the BC’s Remuneration Committee. He drafts and assists in drafting responses to Government Consultations on behalf of the Bar, most recently on contempt of court and the response to the Leveson Review.
He is a member of the Criminal Bar Association, has served on their executive body and has ongoing involvement in a number of CBA committees.
Nick is an Advocacy Trainer for students, pupils and junior barristers.
He is a mentor for Middle Temple and is a member of the Inn’s scholarship selection panel.
For a number of years until it was forced by government cuts to close, Nick served as a Trustee of Chapeltown and Harehills Law Centre.
He is a member pf the panel counsel for the defence to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
• MA (Law), Trinity College, Cambridge
• Middle Temple
• North Eastern Circuit
• Criminal Bar Association
Chambers is centrally located within walking distance of the train station, secure car parks and the Courts.
St Pauls Chambers
Park Row House
19-20 Park Row
Leeds
LS1 5JF
For out of hours assistance please call the senior clerk on 07854170429.
The switchboard will open from 08:30 until 17:30
Phone: +44 (0)1132 455 866
Email: [email protected]
CJSM: [email protected]
