Cases & Articles

Below is a selection of High Profile and Notable cases which ABV Solicitors have undertaken since 2006. This list is not exhaustive. Cases conducted by our lawyers prior to 2006 can be found under their individual profiles.

Customs Evasion

Operation Inertia
Kingston Crown Court 2009
This case is described as one of the largest Missing Trader / VAT Fraud investigated in the U.K. Investigations are on going in a case where the turnover of one of the companies accounted to HMRC was almost £2 billion.

Operation Varlet
Kingston Crown Court in 2010
This ongoing investigation relates to a substantial Multi-handed Missing Trader/VAT Fraud worth millions of pounds of lost revenue generated from the supply of significant amounts of mobile phones in Europe.

Operation Duma
Birmingham Crown Court 2008
Large Multi Handed VAT Carousel Fraud, investigated by Revenue Customs Prosecution Office.

Operation Goodies
Manchester Crown Court 2008
Multi handed Conspiracy to Evade Duty on millions of smuggled cigarettes from China. The Proceeds of Crime Act Confiscation proceedings which followed were one of the largest in the U.K and were delayed as a result of the case of R v May on Apportionment and Criminal Lifestyle.

Operation Toolshed
Kingston Crown Court 2009
Multi Handed Evasion of Duty. Involves the importation from Kuwait of a very large quantity of cigarettes. The case is prosecuted by the Revenue Customs Prosecution Office.

Operation Clumber
Harrow Crown Court 2009
Multi-Handed Conspiracy to Evade Duty on the importation of large consignments of Cigarettes and Tobacco. The surveillance operation involved many officers over a lengthy period of time both in the U.K and in a number of countries in Europe.

Fraud

Operation Spruce
Reading Crown Court 2009
Large Multi Handed Conspiracy to Defraud, Conspiracy to Pervert the Course of Justice and Perjury resulting from the alleged Slough Election Fraud.

R v G, S & A
Isleworth Crown Court 2009
This multi-Handed Conspiracy to Defraud involves the ‘Car Clocking’ of hundreds of cars. Case is prosecuted by the Trading Standards Service.

Operation Kemney
Lewes Crown Court 2009
Multi Handed Money Laundering and Mortgage Fraud. Confiscation proceedings involve millions of pounds worth of assets.

Operation Railhead
Snaresbrook Crown Court 2009
Multi Handed Conspiracy to Cheat and Mortgage Fraud of vast sums of monies.

R v Nail & Others
Croydon Crown Court 2009
Multi Handed Conspiracy to Defraud. This was a large scale banking fraud with complex confiscation proceedings. The loss of the fraud was worth of millions of pounds. Evidence served in the case was in excess of 40,000 pages.

Operation Look-in
Southwark Crown Court 2009
Represent an accountant accused of Large Scale Mortgage Fraud involving the certification of numerous self certified mortgages.

R v Hanson
Croydon Crown Court 2009
Prosecution of Shadow Director obtaining half million.

Operation Ribbon
Birmingham Crown Court 2008
Multi Handed Conspiracy to Defraud various companies of its creditors’ pre liquidation. This was considered to be one of the largest Long Furlong Frauds ever prosecuted.

R v B & Others
Southwark Crown Court 2007
Multi handed Conspiracy to defraud the Ministry of Defence and an Engineering Company by adding hours to the invoices of employees and falsifying employees clock cards. Papers in the case exceeded 17000 pages.

Operation Cart
Croydon Crown Court 2006
Multi Handed Conspiracy to Defraud the Central Clearing Banks of the U.K in one of the first high tech prosecutions brought by City Of London police for Chip and Pin fraud.

R v A
Isleworth Crown Court 2006
Multi Handed Conspiracy to Steal from a number of Travelex Bureau’s in Heathrow Airport.

R v Ali
Croydon Crown Court 2006
Multi Handed Money Laundering of vast amounts of monies, investigated by City Of London Police.

Murder

Operation Castorland
Old Bailey 2008
21 handed gang related murder and violent disorder in West London involving adults and youths aged 12. Represented 12 year old who was acquitted of murder but convicted of Manslaughter and received 7 year sentence.  An appeal against both conviction and sentence has been lodged. Three others convicted of murder received minimum sentences of 15, 14 and 13 years respectively.

Operation Cherrytree
Old Bailey 2009
Successfully represented Timarli Foster who was accused of Murder and Attempted Murder in Peckham. Investigated by Operation Trident officers, it was alleged that this was an execution style killing of fellow drug dealer leaving the survivor who was shot in the face with a bullet lodged in his neck. Case involved flawed Identification Parade procedure along with extremely complex cell site and forensic evidence. Utilising information obtained from the FBI and elsewhere around the world we were able to present to the jury a more complete picture of the character of the main witness. Our client was facing a life sentence with a minimum term of between 30-35 years had he been convicted.

R v Oloughlin & others
Old Bailey 2008
Multi handed Conspiracy to Murder and associated Firearms offences involving the beating of a drug associate who was then shot 4 times. Client acquitted of conspiracy to murder but convicted of conspiracy to do GBH and firearms offences.

Operation Craft
Reading Crown Court 2009
High profile Attempted Murder / s.18 GBH and Aggravated Twoc. Victim scraping ice off her car windows when car driven away and she received serious injuries as it ran over her.

Harmohinder Sanghera
Court of Appeal 2009
Instructed to launch an appeal against conviction at Manchester Crown Court for the murder of Sair ALI.  Widespread coverage in the media due to the nature of the case.

Death by Dangerous Driving

Operation Taurus
Oxford Crown Court 2008
High profile Dangerous Driving charge resulting from the National Express Coach Crash which caused 3 deaths and injuries to over 50 passengers including amputations. Case required expertise in large scale accident reconstruction and detailed analysis of scientific reports provided by leading experts in the field.

Facilitation

R v S
Kingston Upon Hull Crown Court 2008
Large scale Facilitation of Illegal Immigrants working in the Labour industry in the UK, requiring extensive international defence enquires principally in India.

Operation Coptine
Leicester Crown Court 2007
Multi Handed - Conspiracy to Facilitate Illegal Immigration involving People trafficking from South Africa.

Operation Carpal
Stafford Crown Court 2006
Large Conspiracy to Facilitate Illegal Immigration, which involved People Trafficking from India. Case received a great deal of publicity as the News of the World provided front page coverage and reported the case to the police. Case Involved extensive defence enquiries in India.

Drugs

Operation Ashwick
Kingston Crown Court : 2009
Large Multi Handed Conspiracy to Produce and Supply Class A Drugs. Case involved Intrusive Probe Evidence and Covert Surveillance.

Operation Copthorne
Swindon Crown Court 2009
Multi-Handed Conspiracy to import/ supply 4 tons of Cannabis.

Operation Overfall
Croydon Crown Court 2009
Large Scale Multi-Handed Conspiracy to Supply Class A Drugs. Case involved covert surveillance by SOCA officers and complex telephone and cell site evidence.

R v Y & Others
Birmingham Crown Court 2009
Large Scale Multi-Handed Conspiracy to Import Class A drugs from the Dominican Republic.

R v J & Others
Kingston Crown Court 2009
Multi – Handed Supply of Class A Drugs. Case involved significant covert surveillance in the U.K over a period of time.

Operation Haughty
Reading Crown Court 2008
Multi Handed Conspiracy to Supply Class C drugs namely, 103 Kilos of Skunk Cannabis. Complex Money Laundering via ‘Cuckoo Smurfing’ by controllers. Vast amount of Cell Site Phone evidence relied upon by the police together with Covert Surveillance.

Operation Walnut
Wolverhampton Crown Court 2008
Multi Handed Conspiracy to Supply vast amounts of Class A drugs. Case involved complex Cell Site phone evidence and International Probe intrusive surveillance requiring a Commission Rogatoire as evidence called from foreign law enforcement officers.

Operation Phoenix
Southampton Crown Court 2008
50 handed large scale conspiracy to supply drugs in Hampshire by London gangs.

Operation Themis
Harrow Crown Court 2008
19 handed conspiracy to supply drugs in Hayes. Surveillance operation involving test purchase of drugs.

Operation Chester
Reading Crown Court 2008
33 handed Conspiracy to supply drugs in the Berkshire area.

Operation Hepatic
Reading Crown Court 2007
Multi handed Conspiracy to Supply Class A drugs, large scale Money Laundering and Possession of Firearms. Police used intrusive surveillance probe evidence over many months.

Operation Falcon
Reading Crown Court 2007
Multi handed conspiracy to supply quarter of a million pounds worth of class A drugs found in a residential property. At the time, the largest domestic seizure of Class A drugs in the UK. Featured in Road Wars.

Conspiracy - Other

Operation Planet
Snaresbrook Crown Court 2008
Successfully represented a Magistrates Court Clerk and others in respect of a Multi- Handed Conspiracy to Pervert Course of Justice, investigated by the Anti Terrorist police and featured in Crime Watch UK.

Operation Rize
Instructed by a number of those whose Safe Deposit Boxes were raided by New Scotland Yard in the much publicised operation in 2008.

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