Sebastian Cox

Called: 2016

Areas of Law

As a specialist criminal practitioner, Sebastian has defended clients at trial facing anything from driving offences to allegations of fraud, drugs conspiracies, and serious violence. He has also been instructed to prosecute a wide range of offences, including burglary and sexual offences. Sebastian has also dealt with cases involving issues of modern slavery.

Before pupillage, Sebastian worked as a paralegal in a successful housing and property litigation team, defending specialist prosecutions brought by local authorities against landlords and companies with a particular emphasis on HMO and Health & Safety prosecutions.

In addition to general criminal law expertise, Sebastian has a diverse practice, dealing with crime-adjacent regulatory work and more niche areas:

HMO & Licensing fixed penalty appeals – Sebastian has appeared in the First-tier Property Tribunal in relation to penalties issued against a residential landlord.
Trading standards, trademarks & private prosecutions – Sebastian has experience in dealing with private prosecutions and offences involving intellectual property.
Sexual Risk Orders and other civil quasi-criminal orders – Sebastian has experience in dealing with contested civil behaviour orders in the magistrates and on appeal to the Crown Court.
Nursing & Midwifery Council – Sebastian has appeared as a Case Presenter for the NMC in a range of hearings.

Asset Forfeiture and Confiscation

Criminal Defence

Criminal Prosecution

Fraud & Financial Crime

Professional Discipline

Cases

Criminal Defence: R v G – Led junior in a complex case of perverting the course of justice by way of forged/fraudulent court orders in the civil courts.

R v P – NHS health care assistant accused by nursing staff of assaulting a vulnerable dementia patient whilst working on the ward. Acquitted at half-time.

R v E – Conspiracy to burgle/handling stolen goods – Young defendant accused of being involved in a spate of over 30 burglaries in which over £20,000 worth of items stolen. Acquitted after trial.

R v PA – Housing disrepair/Health & Safety prosecution involving a company accused of serious mold and disrepair issues across a portfolio of residential properties in Wales; Case involved complex legal issues concerning HMO property standards and issues of ‘reasonable excuse’ during the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic.

R v T – Represented a highly vulnerable autistic 15-year-old child who was charged with several assaults allegedly occurring whilst sectioned. After vigorous representations on behalf of the client, the prosecution was discontinued on the day of trial on public interest grounds.
Criminal Prosecution: R v D – PWITS Class A drugs case in which defendant was convicted as a third-striker.

R v G – GBH/Wounding with intent case involving a male struck to the head from behind with a baseball bat.

R v K – Possession of a firearm & ammunition with intent to endanger life – handgun and live firing ammunition obtained by defendant, seized by police whilst D on the way to take it a confrontation.

Professional Memberships

Criminal Bar Association

Sebastian sits on the Young Bar Sub-Committee of the CBA

Young Fraud Lawyers’ Association

Inner Temple

Grade 2 CPS Counsel

NMC External Counsel

Awards, Qualifications & Other

Advocacy and the Vulnerable Training, Inner Temple (October 2019)

Youth Justice Legal Centre – Youth Justice Advocacy Training (March 2019)

Bar Professional Training Course, BPP University – Very Competent

Law with Politics (LLB Hons), University of Sussex – Upper Second-Class Honours