Henry Gordon

Henry Gordon

Prosecutes and defends serious crime and acts in criminal regulatory proceedings.

YEAR OF CALL 2007

Education

LLB (Hons) University of Warwick (First Class)
LLM Legal Theory, EALT Brussels (Distinction)

Appointments

CPS Advocate Panel (Level 3)
Crown Court Recorder
Deputy District Judge (Magistrates’ Court)
Legally-Qualified Chair of the Police Misconduct Panel
Former Senior Crown Counsel to Montserrat

Memberships

Criminal Bar Association
National Association of Legally-Qualified Chairs

Overview

Henry is a criminal law and regulatory specialist, whose busy practice typically includes cases of conspiracy to commit bank robbery, attempted murder, the importation of cocaine, multinational credit card fraud, cheating the revenue, firearms offences and human trafficking. He is known for his exact advice and skilful advocacy.

His practice in regulatory crime involves a specialism in food safety and hygiene regulation, planning enforcement, housing and environmental offences, and in trading standards prosecutions. He has a wealth of experience in cases involving toxic waste, enforcement notices, counterfeiting and hallmarking, and unlawful advertising.

Henry’s Court of Appeal and other appellate work spans both areas of practice and has included cases of aggravated burglary, confidence fraud, rape, robbery and drugs supply, as well as abatement notice breaches, licensing appeals, and appeals against local authority costs awards. He has appeared on multiple occasions before the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal.

Henry regularly handles the whole raft of civil applications made by the police and is highly experienced in matters of police misconduct, having been appointed to sit on misconduct panels for nine police forces across the country. He is also familiar with the regulatory frameworks of other professional regulators.

Practice Areas

Criminal Defence and Prosecution
Fraud & Financial Regulation
Business Regulation
Professional Discipline
Asset Recovery, Restraint and Confiscation

Notable Cases

R v JM – Henry prosecuted a defendant who was charged with indecently assaulting a 10-year-old girl. The defendant was found Guilty after trial.

D’VH v R – This appellant appealed against his sentence of 18 years’ imprisonment following guilty pleas to two offences of rape, committed on two women in their seventies in their own homes late at night. Henry appeared for the Crown and successfully resisted the appeal.

R v JA – Henry successfully prosecuted this defendant charged with the multiple rape of an 86-year-old lady. The Defendant was convicted on all counts and was sentenced to 22 years’ imprisonment.

FP v R – Henry successfully resisted the appeal against conviction by a GP convicted of indecently assaulting a teenage patient. The appeal was dismissed on all grounds.

R v JV & BV (‘Operation Britwell’) – Henry prosecuted a father and son charged with possessing over 22kgs of ketamine and mephedrone with intent to supply, valued at almost £500,000. Henry secured unanimous guilty verdicts on all counts.

R v Jomana Rahal [2017] EWCA Crim 1779 – Henry appeared for the Respondent local authority in this case in which the Court of Appeal reiterated the principles to be applied by the courts when considering applications for prosecution costs, especially in cases involving multiple defendants and two counsel for the prosecution.

BCC v UA and RA – Henry secured convictions across-the-board in this case concerning the prolific dumping of used tyres on country lanes in rural Buckinghamshire.

BCC v RT – Henry prosecuted at trial a former Council employee charged with burying tonnes of asbestos waste in a cemetery.

R v LY & Ors – Henry defended in this lengthy case of conspiracy to commit violent disorder involving an incident of large-scale gang violence, the brandishing of metal bars and golf clubs, and which culminated in a stabbing.

LBN v MOI – Henry prosecuted a defendant charged with social housing fraud. The evidence included false birth and death certificates and a false affidavit, all submitted to the local authority to bolster a claim for social housing. Henry receives regular instructions in cases of social housing fraud and unlawful subletting.

R v EM – Henry represented at trial an Albanian man charged with importing cocaine worth over £250,000 into the UK.

LBN v DM & LPSL – Henry prosecuted a landlord and lettings agent who were charged with over 100 offences under the Housing Act 2004.

L.B.Newham v Denvil White [2015] Divisional Court – Henry successfully appealed by way of case stated against the magistrates’ acquittal of a defendant charged with breaching a noise abatement notice. Beatson LJ affirmed the test to be applied in determining whether a statutory nuisance existed in breach of an abatement notice.

R v Dean (Simon) [2014] EWCA Crim 609 – Henry appeared in the well-publicised case of the ‘Help for Heroes’ fraudster. The Court of Appeal considered the sentence passed and made remarks on the sentencing of those who pose as charity workers to commit burglary and fraud.

R v JF and Another – Henry acted for the alleged ringleader of a criminal gang conspiring to defraud online retailers through the extensive use of fraudulent credit card details obtained from Canada, following an international police investigation.

R v AT – Henry defended at trial a taxi driver charged with dangerous driving in an alleged road rage attack. The client was unanimously acquitted by the jury at the Old Bailey. Henry was described as “fantastic” in an article in the trade publication ‘Taxi’ magazine.

LBL v AO – Henry represented a defendant charged with selling toxic peanut butter imported from Uganda. He has also acted in other trading standards prosecutions involving the online sale of illegal skin lightening products.

R v RMS – Henry’s client was acquitted by the jury of multiple counts of sexual assault, allegedly committed by a private tutor against a young student.

R v GJ (‘Operation Fashion’) – Henry represented a well-known graffiti artist charged with multiple counts of causing graffiti damage to London Underground and railway carriages, following an extensive and international police operation. Henry has acted in many cases involving graffiti, including securing the acquittal of two defendants charged with causing extensive graffiti damage to the London Underground in a trial involving live expert evidence from an industrial paint expert.

R v MT – Henry’s client, who was charged with the rare offence of causing bodily injury through “wanton or furious driving”, was acquitted after a trial which involved live expert evidence concerning the mechanics of injury and associated collision damage. Henry has appeared in many cases involving collision damage experts, including a number when acting on behalf of British Telecom, such that he is adept as handling expert evidence in this area.

R v PWC and Another (‘Operation Regent’) – Henry appeared as junior alone in a lengthy trial arising from Operation Regent, concerning the conspiracy to commit robbery of cash-in-transit deliveries across South East England.

BCC v PJMS – Henry successfully prosecuted at trial a defendant who dumped drums of toxic chemicals in protected woodland.

R v CB – Henry represented a defendant prosecuted for possessing criminal property, namely stolen and adulterated benefit cheques. The accused was acquitted after trial on all counts.

R v Antonio Louzada [2010] EWCA Crim 2520 – Henry appeared before the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) representing an appellant who appealed against a sentence of three years’ imprisonment for robbery. The appeal was allowed, the Court of Appeal substituting the original sentence with one of two years’ imprisonment.

R v LT & Ors (‘Operation Basil’) – Henry represented one of eight defendants charged with conspiracy to supply Class A drugs following Operation Basil, an extensive undercover operation into a notorious drugs supply network.

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