Profile
Appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2017. Gareth is recommended in both Crime and Financial Crime. He has extensive experience of heavy criminal litigation, his cases having included murder, blackmail, fraud, bribery, terrorism and all other types of criminal work. He appears both for the Prosecution and the Defence, often in cases of complexity or sensitivity as noted by the Legal 500. For many years Gareth has been recommended in the fields of Crime and Fraud by both the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners.
“Gareth Patterson is a classy advocate…. “
Chambers and Partners
“He is an astute, highly reassuring and accomplished advocate.”
Chambers and Partners
“His advisory and preparatory work is really, really impressive.”
Chambers and Partners
“He is a class act, always exceptionally well prepared and very polished in and out of court.”
Chambers and Partners
“His attention to detail and his understanding of the facts is second to none.”
Chambers and Partners
“He is a first rate prosecutor who has an impressive knowledge of the law and an easy and persuasive manner with the jury. A charming but formidable advocate.”
Legal 500
“Super clever and a very reassuring advocate. He’s very thoughtful and diligent.”
Chambers and Partners
“The way Gareth marshals and presents vast amounts of sensitive material is truly impressive. There is probably no harder working silk at the criminal bar. He is a first-choice silk for large, fact-heavy or evidence-dense cases as he can wade through oceans of material, and not miss a word.”
Legal 500
Notable cases include: R v D (the prosecution offered no evidence in a complicated manslaughter case involving complex medical evidence and causation issues); R v Ali and Others (‘Three Musketeers’ terror plot); R v Asil Nadir (the theft of nearly £29 million from the company Polly Peck); R v A (involving blackmail relating to sensitive photographs of a foreign Head of State); R v P (the trial of a teenager charged with planning a Columbine-style terrorist offence); R v Khan and Khan (the planned beheading of a US serviceman in East Anglia), R v Konye (which involved an acid attack in Dagenham); R v Singh (recent Court of Appeal judgment concerning sentencing of a transgender offender for sexual offences); R v Lee Byer (the killing of a pensioner on the A40); R v Rodrigues (‘whodunnit’ murder); R v Arslan (body in a suitcase murder); R v Spence-Robinson (historical murder); R v Kemp (1970s murder); a series of homicide cases featuring issues involving mental health or diminished responsibility: R v Gynane; R v Burrell; R v Joseph; R v Myers; R v Byer; R v Freeman; he appeared in R v L (which involved an allegation of theft of diamonds from the former wife of the Sultan of Brunei); R v Hopkins – Allegation of murder of a 17 year old and the hiding of his body in an attic; a series of domestic and group homicides. Gareth successfully defended one of the brokers charged in the SFO’s LIBOR-rigging prosecution. Gareth was instructed in the case of Olga Freeman relating to the death of her 10 year old son during lockdown.
Gareth’s practice is not restricted to criminal litigation. He is instructed in advisory work and in cases of judicial review. Gareth has a particular interest in inquests and coronial law and acted for families in the inquests into the deaths of victims of the 7/7 London Bombings, the Westminster Bridge terror attack and the London Bridge / Borough Market terror attacks. Before practising at the Bar, he was a commercial solicitor for the City law firm, Gouldens (now Jones Day)
Expertise
Gareth has wide experience of both prosecuting and defending in relation to homicide and the full range of criminal offences, at first instance and on appeal. He has particular experience of cases involving mental health issues and is noted for his close attention to detail in complex cases. He has been instructed by various prosecuting agencies including the Crown Prosecution Service, the Serious Fraud Office and the Financial Conduct Authority. Gareth has advised in an equally wide range of criminal cases.
Gareth has acted for the Attorney General in references of unduly lenient sentences and acted on an appeal for a prisoner convicted of murder after a trial involving the use of anonymous witnesses. Gareth has recently prosecuted and defended in many high profile cases of murder and manslaughter, mainly at the Central Criminal Court.
Gareth also has considerable experience in cases involving allegations of sexual offences and recently successfully argued for the stay of proceedings brought against a defendant facing historical allegations.
Gareth is described in the Legal 500 as “an amazingly astute fraud lawyer.” He has been instructed both for the Prosecution (including the SFO) and Defence in many cases of fraud and presently appears in QNS, an allegation of conspiracy to make corrupt payments. The LIBOR-rigging trial in which he defended, concluded following acquittals in 2016. In R v Nadir he spent nearly one and a half years preparing the case, followed by a trial lasting some seven months and subsequent compensation proceedings. He appeared in the prosecution of a defendant charged with a multi-million pound film industry fraud; after a three-month trial she was convicted at Bristol Crown Court. In R v Ozakpinar and Others, Gareth was instructed in an allegation of corruption arising out of the employment of consultants by a public body. In R v Alexander and Others he appeared in a lengthy fraud involving the assignment of falsely inflated contracts and conspiracy to bribe. In R v Faithfull he acted for the FCA in a major money laundering prosecution.
Gareth led for the Defence in a case against a British diplomat charged with misconduct in a public office arising out of the dishonest grant of visas in the Philippines. He also has experience of appeals in relation to complicated Missing Trader Intra-Community (MTIC) frauds before the First-Tier Tax Tribunal.
Gareth is Instructed by the SFO and by the FCA in relation to major ongoing investigations into multi-jurisdictional offences.
Gareth has acted for families in the inquests into those killed in the 7/7 London Bombings, the Westminster Bridge terror attack and the London Bridge / Borough Market terror attacks. In the High Court in R (on the application of O’Connor) v HM Coroner for Avon [2009] EWHC 854 (Admin) he obtained a fresh inquest in relation to the death of six year-old Liam Hogan, who was pushed from a balcony in Crete by his father.
Gareth has been instructed in regulatory cases involving prosecutions brought by a range of government agencies. He has acted for HMRC in relation to appeals in respect of MTIC fraud.
- Queen’s Counsel, 2017.
- Court-appointed counsel to cross-examine a vulnerable complainant.
University of Cambridge, BA (Hons) (Cantab)
To view Gareth Patterson KC’s Privacy Notice, please click here.
Recognition
Notable cases
R v Hopkins
Allegation of murder of a 17 year old and the hiding of his body in an attic.
R v Thomas Peter
Prosecution of a man accused of strangling his wife and burning her body while their three daughters slept.
Westminster Bridge Terror Attack Inquests
Acting for the families of the victims.
London Bridge Terror Attack Inquests
Acting for the families of six of those killed in the attack.
QNS01
Lead counsel in the investigation into complex suspected conspiracy to make corrupt payments.
SFO v George Alexander & Others
Acting for the SFO in a multi-handed prosecution alleging a complex multi-million pound false contracts fraud.
R (Monica) v DPP
Instructed for the DPP in this judicial review of a CPS decision not to prosecute for rape.
R v S
Defence of a retired man of good character accused of historical sex offences where expert evidence was obtained which suggested the onset...
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Gareth Patterson QC and Victoria Ailes act in the London Bridge Attack Inquests
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