Profile
“He has a really charming way with clients; he puts people at ease.”
Chambers & Partners
“Denis is a brilliant jury advocate: he is highly articulate, amusing and quick on his feet. His style of advocacy calms and concentrates a jury taking them by the hand and leading them over what can be exceptionally difficult areas of law. He is one of the best juniors at the criminal Bar.”
Legal 500
“He is a brilliant jury advocate; he’s highly articulate, amusing and quick on his feet.”
Chambers and Partners
“One of the best juniors at the criminal bar.”
Chambers and Partners
Denis has a two decades of experience in defending and prosecuting in serious criminal cases. He is regularly instructed as leading junior counsel in cases against Queen’s Counsel. He has particular expertise in homicide and has appeared in a number of high-profile murder cases.
He has broad experience in organised crime, and corruption offences. He has appeared in many cases involving complex medical evidence, particularly those involving the mentally ill, and also cases involving the death of children.
He is also a leading junior in the area of Consumer law.
Expertise
Denis is instructed in all types of serious criminal litigation. Recent experience has included acting as junior counsel in the following high-profile murders.
R v Kigundu: in which the defendant received a whole life order for the murder of two people when a block of flats was set on fire,
R v L T and J: The 14-year-old defendants were found guilty of the murder of a 13-year boy.
R v O’Brien: the defendant was the UK’s most wanted fugitive.
He has appeared in two corruption cases involving football. R v Boateng was the first corruption case for match fixing in football, and R v Price involved an investigation by the Daily Telegraph.
He is a Category 4 Prosecution Advocate (confiscation, serious and organised crime, and fraud panels).
He was led in two high profile prosecutions of Thomas Adams and others for money laundering.
In R v B he led for the Crown in the prosecution of a woman for fraud and cruelty when she had fabricated serious illness said to have been suffered by her children.
Denis has extensive experience of professional disciplinary tribunals and regulatory cases. He has acted for large number of police officers before regulatory tribunals. He has particular expertise with professionals with mental health difficulties. He has also acted for medical professionals (doctors and pharmacists) before their regulatory bodies.
He has extensive experience in the area of Consumer law, is a Leading Junior in this area in the Chambers and Partners rankings and has been for 10 years. Denis was the Editor of the Blackstone’s Guide to the Consumer Rights Act 2015. It deals with substantial changes to the law between consumer and businesses for goods, digital content, services, and unfair contract terms. The Act consolidates the powers of enforcement officers and amends substantially the Enterprise Act.
In addition, Denis’ areas of specialisation include Trademark, Copyright, Product Safety, Planning and Environmental offences, for which he is instructed by both defendants, companies including supermarkets, and local authorities. He has substantial experience in the maze of European Directives and Regulations creating criminal offences.
Denis has extensive experience in allegations of fraud, both prosecuting and defending. He is currently instructed as junior counsel in the first prosecution arising from the Covid furlough scheme, a £25 million money laundering scheme, and an allegation of corruption involving a local authority.
Denis has broad experience in Inquests. He acted for 3 police officers in the recent high-profile Inquest into the death of Leon Briggs and has also acted for Doctors in sensitive Inquests.
Denis frequently appears in the appellate courts, principally for the Crown. He is instructed regularly by the Appeals Unit of the Crown Prosecution Service. He has advised and appeared in cases involving the appropriate treatment of those found to be both dangerous and mentally ill, and sensitive cases involving public interest immunity. He also appeared in the only appellate criminal case involving the game of poker (R v Kelly).
Denis has broad experience in restraint and confiscation, both prosecuting and defending, and was led in the leading case of R v IK [2007] 2 Cr.App.R.11 on the definition of ‘criminal property’.
Denis has advised in respect of the judicial review of decisions to prosecute and appeared in the leading case of R (Robson) v Crown Prosecution Service [2016] EWHC 2191 on the correct approach to criminal cautions.
- Criminal Bar Association
- Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers
- Wimbledon College
- Birmingham University LLB
- Warwick University LLM
