Stephen Leslie QC

Year of Call: 1971

Silk: 1993
Bencher Lincoln's Inn

Specialist practice areas: Criminal/Civil Fraud, Serious Crime, Regulation/Compliance, Asset Forfeiture, Serious Sexual Offences, Health & Safety, Courts Martial, Inquests & Public Inquiries

Stephen Leslie QC is the immediate past Leader of the South Eastern Circuit (01/01/2009 to 31/12/2010).

Stephen Leslie QC has focused exclusively on criminal work, principally defending, for over 30 years. During that time he has built an outstanding track record, noted for his exceptional attention to detail and ability to absorb large amounts of documentation in often pressurised circumstances.

Stephen is ranked as a leading Silk in crime in Chambers & Partners (2010).

Fraud, corruption and financial crime form a substantial part of his practice. Stephen led in his first serious fraud trial over 30 years ago and has as Queen's Counsel appeared in numerous high profile fraud cases including a 15 month SFO prosecution defending an architect in a £multi-million charities fraud and a 3 month single handed SFO prosecution defending a sales director in a multi-national company. Stephen has appeared in almost every type of fraud including advance fee, mortgage, charity fraud, computer and letter of credit frauds, money laundering and insider dealing. Memorable high profile trials have included R v Wilkins, the first acquittal in an SFO case since Maxwell. This involved extensive video link cross examination of witnesses in the USA. Stephen's experience of corruption trials encompasses cases against the police and public officials, and he also appears in taxation appeals.

Stephen also specialises in regulatory law and has appeared and advised in a variety of cases including providing advice on the potential criminality of financial trading. He is similarly experienced in asset forfeiture and confiscation applications, especially in large and complex cases.

Stephen's extensive track record of violent crime is no less impressive. Stephen led in four murder trials before taking silk and he has maintained a healthy practice since. High profile cases included the widely reported Hungerford Bridge murder, where he represented the sole female defendant, and an eight-week gangland shooting trial, where he appeared for the main defendant.

Stephen appears regularly in pro bono criminal defence work before the Privy Council. Many of these cases are murder appeals from the Caribbean, including Mohit, an important decision concerning the power of the DPP in Mauritius to discontinue criminal prosecutions against the then Prime Minister.
Stephen also has a particular interest and unrivaled experience in representing barristers and solicitors in fee/taxation litigation at all levels, largely pro bono.

A selection of Stephen's recent cases:

2011

FSA v D & Others

• Complex “Boiler Room” fraud representing the internal company accountant alleged to have run numerous bank accounts.
• International high profile fraud involving six different countries.
  
• £28m involved through different companies, some of which had the Defendant as Company Director/Secretary.
• 4 month trial after which every other co-defendant convicted on all counts but D acquitted of all counts.
• Virtually paperless case.

SFO v Davenport

• Advance fee fraud c.£12m, rent fraud, ramping fraud and money laundering
• Represented the main defendant
• 4 month trial

2010

CPS v Sainsbury

• Major prisoners charity fraud
• Representing the main defendant
• 4 month trial

RCPO v Crowther

• International VAT fraud c.£20m
• Representing the freight forwarder in UK and Spain

2009

CPS v Lavender

• Attempting to pervert the course of justice in relation to a contract killing
• 8 week trial

CPS v Bell

• Prosecuted a baby shaking case
• Complex medical issues

CPS v Maguire

• Major international drugs (cocaine and cannabis) conspiracy to import many £millions
• Complicated confiscation proceedings for this defendant and one of the co-defendants (who Stephen was subsequently instructed to represent)

CPS v Davies

• Prosecuted a trust fund fraud set up by the defendant's grandfather, Lord Davies

CPS v Cicenas

• Murder trial
• Main defendant in a 3 handed "cut throat"

2008

CPS v McGarvey

• Attempted murder trial
• 2 handed "cut throat"

CPS v Anwar

• Major bank fraud and money laundering trial involving £millions
• Representing one of the main defendants
• 4 month trial

CPS v Broady

• Murder trial
• Representing a pensioner

2007

CPS v Hussain

• Double murder
• Representing 1 of the 2 alleged killers in a multi handed gang murders
• 8 month trial

CPS v Winblad

• International multi-handed drugs conspiracy to import cocaine
• 8 week trial

2006

CPS v Austin

• High profile alleged conspiracy to import drugs from Columbia and South America (cocaine and cannabis) and money laundering
• 11 month trial

Operation Windsor

• Court Martial trial that took place in Iraq