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Andrew Pickin

Year of call: 2017

Andrew practices across Chambers’ main practice areas, with a particular focus on Police and Criminal matters. Well respected and often sought after by lay and professional clients alike, Andrew has an empathetic but forensic approach that has been built upon his enthusiasm to undertake work beyond his level of call and the foundation of a varied common law practice.

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.

Andrew is a confident and reliable police practitioner. Having successfully completed his pupillage under the supervision of Olivia Checa-Dover, he obtained excellent experience right from the beginning of his time in Chambers in the full gamut of police cases, including misconduct hearings and appeals, inquests, matters in the High Court and employment tribunal, multi-track claims involving the police and a spectrum of civil orders in the Magistrates’ and appeals to the Crown Courts.

Andrew has a busy misconduct practice, instructed on behalf of the Appropriate Authority for many forces across the country, presenting multi-day hearings involving VAWG and other sensitive topics. He regularly advises Chief Constables across the North and Midlands under the accelerated procedure and is highly sought after for giving practical, well-thought out but prompt advice.

He has also been involved in several multi-track claims regarding false imprisonment and assault. Andrew acted for a claimant suing the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, which culminated in a two week trial at the Central London County Court located in the Royal Courts of Justice. He has also acted for numerous forces in fast-track claims in the county court.

Andrew is building a busy inquest practice, regularly attending the Coroner’s Court on behalf of the Police or Government Departments. He is currently instructed in a number of live inquest matters. 

Andrew regularly appears in operational matters and has consistently and successfully obtained SHPOs, SROs, DVPOs, SPOs, STROs and account freezing/forfeiture orders on behalf of a range of forces and defendants. He has regularly appeared in the Crown Court defending applications to remove or appeals against the imposition of these orders.

Andrew welcomes instructions in LPP work. He is keen to advise at an early stage in all matters involving the police, but likewise is happy to undertake last minute instructions.

Andrew is building a busy inquest practice, regularly attending the Coroner’s Court on behalf of the Police or Government Departments. He is currently instructed in a number of live inquest matters. 

He recently provided training alongside Olivia Checa-Dover to a force regarding updates in inquests, covering Article 2, ABD, loss of Chance and other matters pertinent to the current inquest landscape, with particular focus on police forces and government departments.

Practice Summary

Andrew is developing a successful civil practice, so far focusing on advising and advocating in cases of noise-related hearing loss, employer’s liability and road traffic work. He is keen to develop his practice alongside his interest in police law, and has acted in a number of cases, both for and against the police, in unlawful detention and other police related torts.

He accepts instructions in all areas of civil practice and has experience in:

  • Applications for strike out/summary judgment/default judgment
  • CCMCs
  • Interim applications
  • Small claim and fast-track trials


Credit hire

Andrew has advised and acted for claimants and defendants in a number of small claim and fast-track trials involving credit hire and both his meticulous preparation and ability to keep on top of this fast-paced and ever-changing area, mean he is an excellent choice for claims involving this issue.

Practice Summary

Andrew has experience in all areas of housing related law, including matters of possession, disrepair, homelessness and injunctive work. He acts for private landlords, social landlords and tenants. He is also keen to develop his landlord and tenant, and property practices.

Most recently, Andrew has assisted in defending complex possession matters and disrepair claims. He is also developing a practice in housing-related environmental prosecutions, which combines his knowledge and experience of housing and criminal law.

Prior to pupillage, Andrew worked full-time as a housing and resettlement adviser based in three London prisons, providing direct support and advice to hundreds of offenders who faced homelessness on release.

During his studies, and later full-time after call, Andrew was a benefits and housing adviser at a South London legal advice centre. As part of this role, he was a duty advocate at two South London county courts, defending possession proceedings and other property-related hearings. He appeared in over 600 cases.

Andrew has also worked in a research capacity for Reprieve and JUSTICE, the latter of which used his research to publish ‘Solving Housing Disputes’ to address the problems litigants in person face when bringing and defending housing and landlord and tenant claims across the jurisdictions of the county court and property tribunal.

Andrew has provided multiple training sessions to a leading national homelessness charity on possession and homelessness law.

CPS Grade 2 Prosecutor


Education

  • 2017 BPTC – City University of London
  • 2016 LLM – UCL
  • 2015 GDL – City University of London
  • 2014 MA (Classics)- University of St Andrews


Prizes/Scholarships

  • 2021 Kalisher Trust Pupils Essay Competition 2021 Winner
  • 2020 Inner Temple Cecile Yahuda Scholarship
  • 2016 Inner Temple Exhibition (Full Fee for BPTC)
  • 2016 Inner Temple Duke of Edinburgh Entrance Award
  • 2015 International Undergraduate Awards, Highly Commended
  • 2014 H J Rose Memorial Prize, University of St Andrews
  • 2014 Winning Team- The Inaugural Oxford v St Andrews ‘Norton Rose Fulbright’ Moot
  • 2014 Half-blues- University of St Andrews


Professional Membership

  • Inner Temple
  • JUSTICE
  • Young Legal Aid Lawyers

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