David Robson QC

Education

• Master of Arts (law) 1961
• Oxford 1958 - 1961 (law)
• Inns of Court Bar Course 1964
• Profumo prize in criminal law 1964
• Called to the Bar (Inner Temple) 1965
• Queens Counsel 1980 - Present time

Areas of Practice

Practice as Junior Counsel 1965 - 1980
Extensive practice largely in Criminal Law on the North Eastern Circuit.

Practice as Queens Counsel 1980 - Onwards
Extensive practice exclusively in Criminal Law for 29 years on the North Eastern Circuit, but also in London (Central Criminal Court, Southwark, Woolwich etc) and countrywide (Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Nottingham, Leicester etc). Specialises in long and complex cases (including a number of Very High Cost Cases) of a variety of types.

Recent Cases

Murder

• R v Sayers and others (Leeds Crown Court 2005) - 3 months trial involving complex issues of law and fact
• R v Ojinakka and others (Liverpool CC 2006) - 3 months trial of a very complex nature (VHCC)
• R v Ellis and others (Central Criminal Court 2007) - 2 months trial arising out of shooting in the course of a series of armed robberies

Drugs

• R v Dale and others (Bradford CC 2004) - 3 and half months trial

Child Sexual Abuse

• R v Brown and others (Bradford CC 2005) - 2 months trial of extensive abuse within a family

Gun Running

• R v Richard (Manchester CC 2005) - 2 Months trial

Fraud

• R v George Reynolds and others (Newcastle CC 2005/6) - Serious allegation of various fraudulent activities by a local millionaire football club owner.
  Three indictments were preferred against him involving Money Laundering, Obtaining by Deception, Revenue Fraud and other fraudulent offences. The activities investigated covered a number of years and involved various business interests of the defendant.
  The paperwork was extensive and complex and the preparation was long and drawn out resulting, eventually, in protracted negotiations with the Crown and Revenue which resulted in the settlement by limited plea and financial orders and avoided a 3 / 4 months trial.
• R v Coe and others (Central CC Transferred to Newcastle CC 2009) - This case which is listed for trial (up to 3 months in late 2009) has been in preparation for the whole of 2009. The documentation exceeds 40,000 pages in addition to extensive other material (e.g. surveillance probes).
  The indictment includes counts of Revenue fraud, VAT fraud, Money Laundering, Mortgage fraud and Fraud on the local authority.
  The preparation of this case has involved close examination of various accounting systems and tracing of large sums of money through a complex procedure.

Professional Membership

• North Eastern Circuit