Alfred Underwood

HMRC v K and U – Ipswich Magistrates’ Court – Represented clients in an application by the Revenue for forfeiture of £20,000 cash seized at the airport as they were departing for Turkey.

R v PG – Isleworth Crown Court – Led as junior counsel in POCA proceedings following client’s conviction at trial for conspiracy to steal plant machinery. Valuable benefit of the offences was said to be several hundred thousand pounds. Following two day hearing, the client was made subject to a confiscation order of £1.

R v CA – Inner London Crown Court – Sexual Assault – The prosecution alleged that the client, an openly gay man in his 30s, lured the complainant, a teenage college student whom he had just met, into the toilets of a busy restaurant and sexually assaulted him. The client always maintained that any touching was consensual and that he believed the complainant was fully aware he was being invited into the bathroom for sex. After a five day trial, the client was acquitted unanimously by the jury.

R v TPF & Others – Croydon Crown Court – Firearms – Client charged along with two other defendants with possession of firearms and ammunition, which were discovered in a car belonging to one of the co-defendants. Case turned on the sufficiency of the DNA evidence linking the client to the items. Following cross-examination of the prosecution’s DNA expert and legal arguments at trial, the judge ruled that the client had no case to answer.

R v DK & Others – Central Criminal Court – Conspiracy to Murder – Led as junior counsel for one of three defendants jointly charged with conspiring to murder one of the masterminds of the 2006 Securitas depot robbery (The UK’s largest cash robbery) while he was staying at an address in North London owned by a well-known comedian. The victim was shot twice through the kitchen window in July 2019. All three defendants were separately involved in high value cash burglaries, including the theft of Chinese antiquities from the Museum of Far Eastern Art in Geneva, Switzerland, which featured at the trial as part of the defence case for all three. The case involved substantial evidence in relation to GPS trackers and cell site data from cars with built-in SIM cards.

R v T and Others – Snaresbrook Crown Court – Attempted Murder – Led as junior counsel for one of five defendants jointly charged with attempted murder of a rival gang member in Hackney. Client along with two others attacked the victim with knives and a firearm at an overground station. Trial lasted over three months and involved complex legal argument in relation to bad character, alleged evidence of gang membership and evidence arising ex improviso during the trial.

R v AD – Snaresbrook Crown Court – GBH – Client charged with wounding and threats to kill against former partner. Prosecution case supported by complainant’s evidence was that client held a knife to her throat and cut her face while threatening to kill her. Client pleaded guilty to causing her ABH at the outset of the trial. Acquitted unanimously on all remaining counts.

R v ML and Others – Winchester Crown Court – Class A Drugs Supply – Client charged with being concerned in the supply of Class A and B drugs. Prosecution alleged he entered into an agreement with others to smuggle drugs into “Boomtown” music festival. Following a four-week trial the client was acquitted on all counts. The other two defendants were convicted of supply.

DPP v K – Highbury Corner Youth Court – Modern Slavery Defence – Represented youth client charged with possession with intent to supply Class A and dangerous driving. Following representations that the defendant was a victim of trafficking at the time, the prosecution discontinued the drugs offences. The youth court bench acquitted the defendant of the dangerous driving offences following a successfully pursued defence under s.45 Modern Slavery Act 2015.

R v MM – Ipswich Crown Court – Appeared for prosecution in 4 day armed robbery trial of a petrol station in rural Suffolk.

R v DE – Kingston Crown Court – Secured conviction in 3 day burglary case. Successful argument on cross-admissibility of evidence.

R v J – Reading Crown Court – Secured conviction for assaulting an emergency worker and possession of an offensive weapon.

NMC v D and D – Represented the NMC in a three-week substantive hearing against two nurses accused of dishonesty, including the production of false references. The panel found the majority of charges proved against the lead registrant.

NMC v Y – Represented the NMC in four-week substantive hearing of a nurse charged with lacking competency. The majority of charges against the nurse were found proved.

NMC v G – Represented the NMC in two-week substantive hearing of a nurse charged with dishonesty involving the theft of medication. The panel found the majority of charges proved.