Profile
Michael is a skilful and dedicated advocate, with a compelling attention to detail. Professional and hardworking in his approach, and rigorous in his preparation, he is comfortable handling the most serious and complex of cases.
Michael enjoys a mixed Criminal and Regulatory practice and is experienced in both prosecuting and defending.
Expertise
Acting both for defendants and for the prosecution, Michael’s experience of criminal litigation includes murder, fraud, organised crime and terrorism offences. He has a wealth of experience in the field of drug trafficking and is regularly instructed in large scale conspiracy cases. He is a Grade 4 prosecutor and is on the Fraud, Serious Crime, and Counter-Terrorism panels.
Michael advises and acts in Judicial Review claims and in appeals against conviction and sentence, both on behalf of those who he has represented at first instance and on behalf of those who seek a second opinion on appeal.
Michael is experienced in fraud, commercial crime and professional regulation, having been instructed in substantial fraud trials and in commercial regulatory proceedings. He has represented clients charged with corruption, conspiracy to commit fraud and substantive Fraud Act offences. Michael also acts in confiscation and enforcement hearings and has considerable experience of cash forfeiture proceedings.
As well as post-charge fraud work, Michael has been instructed to advise companies in the early stages of potential Serious Fraud Office investigations both where the company is at risk of prosecution and where the company has detected possible criminal behaviour by others.
Michael has worked in off-shore jurisdictions reporting on the compliance of certain listed companies with market regulations.
Michael has substantial experience of cash forfeiture proceedings both at first instance and on appeal. He is also conversant with confiscation and enforcement proceedings stemming from criminal allegations and is proficient in negotiating and in contesting confiscation orders.
Michael acts in civil and criminal regulatory matters. He is regularly instructed to prosecute on behalf of regulatory bodies in the criminal courts and in the First-tier and Upper Tribunals, and to advise on matters of policy or practise. He also defends those charged with commercial or personal regulatory offences.
Michael advises and acts in judicial review proceedings, principally arising from criminal or regulatory decisions.
- Author, “Deferred Prosecution Agreements: a practical consideration” Crim L.R. 2014, 6, 416-438
- Author, “The use and abuse of conspiracy” Crim L.R. 2014, 4, 261-277
- Author, “Judges as tribunals of fact: to what extent do the provisions for a defendant to be tried on indictment by a judge sitting without a jury conflict with the defendant’s right to a fair trial where issues of PII are present?” Crim L.R. 2010, 9, 702-710.
- Contributor, EU Law in Criminal Practice, (Oxford University Press)
- Member of the Fraud Lawyers Association
Downing College, Cambridge, MA (Hons), Neuroscience.
To view Michael Bisgrove’s Privacy Notice, please click here.
Recognition
Notable cases
R v Zakiria Afey
Prosecution of a student who shared a terrorist song in praise of Osama bin Laden and had a terrorist manual in his possession
R v Zephan Rollins, Amir Sahir, Conrad Jackson and Reece Jackson
Prosecution of a gang who posed as the police before kidnapping a man and demanding £100,000 in ransom
Croitoru v Crown Prosecution Service
Consideration of whether a mechanically propelled invalid carriage was a “motor vehicle” for the purpose of drink-driving offences.
R v Emsden
Consideration of the appropriate discount for assistance given to the prosecution where the information was not before the sentencing...
Karsten v Wood Green Crown Court
Conviction quashed on the basis that the Court had erred in their interpretation of the word “menacing” under the Communications Act...
Nicholls v DPP (2014) 178 J.P. 100
Consideration as to the extent of the need to make findings of fact in a Newton Hearing.
R v Siaulys [ 2013] EWCA Crim 2083
A confiscation order quashed on appeal on the basis that revenue obtained through controlling an unlicensed house in multiple occupation...
R v Szmyt
A sentence of six years’ imprisonment for attempted importation of ecstasy reduced to four and a half years on appeal.
R v Burrows
A sentence for two counts of supply of heroin and two counts of supply of cocaine reduced from three years’ imprisonment to two years’...
R v Mahmet
The consideration on appeal of the costs to be awarded against a defendant where the Crown accepts a lesser plea on the day of trial.
R v Baldwin
A sentence of two years’ imprisonment for supply of heroin reduced to 15 months on appeal.
R v A, D, L, M, C, T
Prosecution of senior personal in two companies, who were convicted of creating false contract documentation for the purpose of obtaining...
R v Dunford and ors
Prosecution of an organised crime group responsible for multiple robberies targeting high value...
R v W and H
Junior Counsel in a conspiracy to defraud and false accounting trial. Senior individuals in a listed company were accused of manipulating...
R v A and ors
Prosecution of a 17-member organised crime group responsible for the robbery of over 60 mobile phone shops over an 18 month period. The...
R v B and Others
B was charged with conspiracy to commit fraud in relation to tax credit claims. He was said to have defrauded the Revenue of more than...
Chief Constable of Kent v T
A successful review of the decision of magistrates to order forfeiture of £35,000 cash, on the basis that the Magistrates’ Court had...
Related news
A third male has been found guilty of murder and conspiring to possess a firearm.
A third male has been found guilty of murder and conspiring to possess a firearm. Akeem Lawrence, 30 from Birmingham was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 35 years after he was...
