Matthew Chidley

Year of Call: 2008

Email: mchidley@furnivallaw.co.uk

Matthew became a member of Chambers in December 2009 after successfully completing pupillage. He is instructed in all areas of criminal law, extradition proceedings and also appears in the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal.

Serious Crime

Matthew has considerable trial experience, including offences of arson, violence, possession of weapons, drugs, public order and sexual offences. He has prosecuted on behalf of Serco, Royal Mail and the CPS and also appears in POCA enforcement hearings and in applications to vary restraint orders.

Matthew sat in as led junior for the second defendant accused of murdering a 21 month old baby in R v. Harris & Phillips (Central Criminal Court) and, as a pupil, he stood in as junior counsel to the Crown in R v. Kuster & Others (‘Operation Frant') (Kingston Crown Court), a case arising out of the largest ever importation of Heroin into the United Kingdom.

Recent cases in which Matthew has been instructed include:

R v. Asil Nadir (Polly Peck International) - instructed by the Serious Fraud Office as disclosure junior, multi million pound thefts from PPI plc;

R v. KF - nine count indictment: possession with intent to supply heroin, crack cocaine, cocaine, cannabis and money laundering (Isleworth CC);

R v. P (a youth) - eleven count indictment: knife point robberies/ attempted robberies (Isleworth CC)

R v. DT - six handed section 18 GBH (skull fractures) and robbery (Basildon CC);

R v. JH  - section 20 GBH, single blow,  (Winchester CC);

R v. OR - multi handed attempted section 18 GBH (Snaresbrook CC);

R v. Davenport & Ors - three month multi-million pound SFO advance-fee fraud, seconded to defence team (Southwark CC);

R v. RB - laundering part of the proceeds of a theft committed against a charity worth over a quarter of a million pounds (Blackfriars CC)

Asylum and Immigration

Matthew represents both publicly funded and privately paying clients in Asylum and Immigration Tribunals throughout England and Wales.

He has been instructed in numerous appeals against asylum refusal and immigration decisions, and recently advised on and drafted grounds for the judicial review of a ‘clearly unfounded' certificate issued by the Secretary of State.

 Matthew regularly appears on behalf of detainees in immigration bail applications, often in matters requiring a working knowledge of criminal practice and procedure.

Recent first-tier appeals include:

MM v. Entry Clearance Officer, New York - successful appeal against refusal of leave to enter; proof of valid and subsisting marriage, article 8 ECHR;

BFR v. Secretary of State for the Home Department - successful appeal against deportation, article 8 ECHR, Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006, LG & CC, ‘levels of protection';

ANT v. Secretary of State for the Home Department - Asylum, opposition politics in Vietnam, political prisoner, arrest warrants;

DK v. Secretary of State for the Home Department - Asylum, Zimbabwe, imputed political opinion, articles 3 & 8 ECHR;

FH v. Secretary of State for the Home Department - Humanitarian protection, Iran, arrest warrants & Ettala'at, articles 3 & 5 ECHR;

FYH v. Secretary of State for the Home Department - Humanitarian Protection, China, serious harm, medical resources in China, critically ill daughter, concurrent care proceedings in High Court.

Extradition

Matthew represents requested persons sought by both Category 1 and 2 territories and on appeal to the Divisional Court. He has represented those accused or convicted of offences ranging from fraud and drug supply to armed robbery, manslaughter and murder.

Recent cases include:

DB v. District Court in Lublin, Poland [2011] EWHC 1454 (Admin); [2011] All ER (D) 41 (May) - fraud, s.14 EA 2003 - ‘passage of time', Secchi - ‘stopping the clock', oppression;

Provincial Court of Madrid, Spain v. GO - successful discharge at first instance, particulars of conviction, importation of cocaine Brazil-Spain;

Germany v. BS - successful discharge at first instance, section 14 EA 2003, 18 year passage of time, ‘injustice' and ‘oppression' made out, armed robbery and extortion;

Germany v. SW - successful discharge at first instance, sufficiency of particulars, 100+ counts of human trafficking.

Albania v. FH - fugitive, murder, attempted murder and possession of firearms, identity;

Ireland v. NK ­- accusation warrant, manslaughter;

Other

Matthew has also been instructed to defend in housing repossession proceedings in the County Court, building upon the invaluable experience he gained prior to joining chambers as a representative for the Norfolk Community Law Service.

Having acted as an appropriate adult prior to commencing practice at the Bar, Matthew is particularly adept at dealing with vulnerable clients, including those suffering with substance addiction, youths and the mentally ill.

Awards

Baron Dr Ver Heyden de Lancey Prize (Middle Temple)

Certificate of Honour of the Middle Temple

Blackstone Entrance Exhibition (Middle Temple)

Graded ‘Outstanding', Bar Vocational Course, The College of Law

National Semi-Finalist: Weekly Law Reports (WLR) Mooting Competition (2007)

Professional Memberships

Criminal Bar Association

South Eastern Circuit

Extradition Lawyers’ Association