Andrew is an experienced criminal advocate; persuasive, pragmatic and with a proven track record, both prosecuting and defending in the Crown Court. Lately, and despite his relatively recent year of call, he has defended in several large, complex and long running trials alongside and against practitioners many more years his senior including: drug conspiracies involving metric tonnes of Class A drugs; violent disorder involving shooting; kidnap & blackmail; large scale conspiracies to pervert the course of justice; and grooming and other serious sexual offences.
He practises across the North East, North and Midlands. His other practice areas of civil, police and social welfare law allow him to see criminal cases through a holistic lens, allowing him to forward thoughtful and powerful submissions on behalf of his clients.
He has defending private prosecutions from e.g. local councils for housing matters, the RSPCA, and Trading Standards; he also has experience of both Civil and Criminal POCA proceedings.
Recent Cases
R v CK [May 2025], Sheffield Crown Court
Andrew’s client faced a charge of robbing a taxi driver. Following a week’s trial, he was unanimously acquitted.
Operation Fireant [March - April 2025], Derby Crown Court
Operation Fireant was an investigation across county lines regarding large scale Class A and B drugs supply and firearms supply. Andrew’s client was first on the indictment and stood trial for three weeks regarding the supply of a pistol, and was allegedly a foremost proponent of firearms dealing in the Sheffield area. The Defendant was unanimously acquitted after only one and a half hours of deliberation.
R v KJ and another [March 2025], Leeds Crown Court
Andrew’s client, first on the indictment, faced a potential third strike sentence for dealing Class A drugs and compelling circumstantial evidence. Following a six day trial, he was unanimously acquitted and therefore was not subject to the mandatory minimum term.
Operation Commemoration [2025] Sheffield Crown Court
Led by Peter Byrne of New Park Court Chambers. Operation Commemoration was a suboperation of Operation Stovewood, which arose from the Jay Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse Exploitation in Rotherham. This six week trial was concerned with a large number of serious historic sexual allegations in the Rotherham area, against three individuals and involving two young girls in 2011. Andrew’s client was charged with penetrative sexual activity with a child and inciting sexual activity with a child, and was unanimously acquitted after trial of the latter offence (having pleaded guilty to the former). Andrew’s client received a suspended sentence.
AG ref JP [Feb 2023] Court of Appeal
Arising from the sentences of Operation Falcon, Andrew appeared before the Court of Appeal arguing that the sentence his client received was not unduly lenient. Whilst the sentence did increase, Andrew’s written representations following the hearing ensured that a procedural error which arose during the hearing, and which incorrectly increased his client’s sentence by 66% and not 33% as intended, meant that his client’s sentence was subsequently reduced from the initial decision of the Appellate Court.
Operation Falcon [2024], Mold Crown Court
Operation Falcon (originally an eight week trial) was an investigation into Organised Crime Groups responsible for the multi tonne supply (over £250 million’s worth) of Class A drugs being imported and distributed from Europe and across the UK in 2023. Andrew’s client was charged with couriering drugs seven times from a farm in North Wales to the Northeast for onward distribution. The overall operation remains one of the largest Northwest investigations into Class A distribution in recent years.
Operation Oarkridge [2024], Derby Crown Court
Operation Oarkridge (originally a six week trial) concerned two gangs of individuals who attended a kabaddi event in Derby in 2023, where hundreds of people became involved in a large violent disorder, involving firearms and bladed weapons. Andrew’s client was alleged to be a gang leader. Dozens of people were treated for serious injuries (Andrew’s client being shot) and the case involved one of the largest violent disorders in the midlands in recent years. The investigation resulted in multiple troughs of charges, trials and convictions. The mechanism of the violence was complex and involved eight action sites, and significant phone data.
R v ZJB and others [April – May 2024], Bradford Crown Court
A three-week trial where Andrew’s client, who was first on the indictment, was charged with 1) kidnap, 2) false imprisonment, 3) blackmail, 4) possession of an imitation firearm with intent and 5) s.18 wounding. The trial involved significant cross examination of the (fake) landlord complainant whose phone disclosed a high number of scams perpetrated on unsuspecting prospective tenants of properties. The Defendants, in revenge for being scammed, bundled the complainant into a car, took him to Sheffield and tortured him. Andrew’s client was acquitted of the latter three counts as a result of the complainant’s credibility being irrevocably tarnished by his bad character being adduced.
HM Insolvency Service v NR and Others [2024], Leicester Crown Court
This case (originally listed for four weeks) involved several invoice factoring frauds and money laundering offences, reflected in 17 counts on the indictment. Four businesses were said to sell furniture, however, the companies and their associated invoices were in large part a complete sham. Many of the ‘customers’ either did not exist, or did exist but had not traded with the companies in the manner suggested by the invoices. Much of the financial and business material was complex and required in-depth analysis. Andrew’s client was said to be the front a fake business acting on behalf of the ringleader.
R v M and others [October - November 2023], Preston Crown Court
Andrew represented a Defendant in a five week trial with eight other defendants. His client was charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and dangerous driving. A plan to pervert justice in the truest sense, the conspiracy concerned an (initially successful) plan to ensure a previous trial of armed robbery, concerning many of the same Defendants, collapsed by way of intimidation/bribery of the Crown’s witnesses. The trial involved significant phone data evidence, messages and phone calls recorded on prison systems to analyse the sequence of events.
AG ref JP [Feb 2023] Court of Appeal Andrew represented JP at his sentencing hearing, the result of which was appealed by the Attorney General for being too lenient. At the Court of Appeal, Andrew was able to persuade the Court not to impose a discretionary driving ban on his client and was able to keep the increased sentence to a minimum. Andrew was commended by the Court of Appeal for his submissions and saying all that could be said in mitigation.
R v KD [2023] Hull Crown Court Following three days of evidence, Andrew succeeded in making a half-time submission of no case to answer for his 17-year-old client in a multi-handed affray.
R v SF [2023] Teesside Crown Court On behalf of the prosecution, Andrew successfully challenged the evidence of the Defendant in a Newton Hearing.
R v PW [2023] Sheffield Crown Court Defending in a trial of s.20 assault, Andrew secured an acquittal in a case which centred around self-defence.
R v LG [2023] Liverpool Crown Court Defending in a trial of possession with intent to supply £1 million worth of cocaine, Andrew secured an acquittal after two days.