Christopher Rodwell
Year of Call 1997
Specialist criminal defence counsel. Areas of specialisation include fraud and white-collar crime, drugs offences, property offences, sexual and violent assaults and offences by and against children.
Qualifications:
BA (Hons) London
Post Grad. Diploma in Law – College of Law, Guildford
Professional Memberships
Criminal Bar Association
Languages
French
Personal Interests
Rugby, skiing, equestrianism.
Reported Cases
Tre Sky [2000] 2 Cr. App. R. (S.) 260
Appeal against sentence. Administering a noxious substance with intent.
R (Hunt) v Criminal Cases Review Commission [2001] 2 WLR 319
Judicial Review, second junior counsel for the claimant – Power of the Commissioners of the Inland Revenue to prosecute on indictment without the consent of the Attorney-General.
R (Lonergan) v Lewes Crown Court, [2005] EWCA Crim 457 (Admin)
Judicial Review, junior counsel for the claimant. Leading case on Anti-Social Behaviour Orders
R v Page et ors [2005] 2 Cr App R (S) 22
Appeal against sentence. Guideline case on sentencing for theft.
Sexual Offences
R v AS, Snaresbrook Crown Court.
Rape and assault by penetration within marriage. AS acquitted of all rape charges.
R v K, Central Criminal Court
Rape within an arranged marriage. K acquitted
R v V, Snaresbrook Crown Court
Rape, robbery and assault. Having admitted the assault V was acquitted of rape and robbery.
R v AR, Oxford Crown Court
Sexual assault on teenage girls. AR acquitted
R v P, Birmingham Crown Court
Assault by penetration with a broken table leg and section 18 GBH on an alleged young prostitute. ? was acquitted on the count of assault by penetration.
Violent Offences
R v S, Lewes Crown Court and Court of Appeal
Wounding with intent, knife crime. S admitted stabbing the victim but denied any intent to do grievous bodily harm. Defence of automatism as a result from withdrawal from alcohol was successful. The sentence passed down for the alternative section 20 allegation was successfully appealed.
R v T, Wolverhampton Crown Court
Wounding with intent, knife crime. Allegation that husband had stabbed wife and left her for nearly 24hours before the emergency services were called. Defence of self-inflicted wounds was successful – acquitted.
R v T, Inner London Crown Court
Multiple robberies and wounding with intent. The defendant was only 12 years of age at the date of the alleged stabbing
Gun crime / Trident cases
R v A et ors, Harrow Crown Court
Conspiracy to supply firearms. Defence of duress was successful. A was the only defendant acquitted.
Drugs offences
R v SC et ors, Winchester Crown Court
Conspiracy to supply class A drugs. Junior counsel. 9-handed multi-million pound drugs conspiracy.
R v R et ors, Wolverhampton Crown Court
Conspiracy to supply class A drugs. Successful submission of no case to answer based on the nature of the conspiracy indicted.
R v M, Isleworth Crown Court
Importation of 8 tonnes of cannabis
Fraud & Corruption
R v C et ors, (CA) Case Number 9803759 X2 (Bute Mining Plc)
Second junior counsel for the defendant on a renewed application for leave to appeal. Serious fraud involving the flotation of a mining company (Bute Mining plc). The case involved complex technical allegations concerning geology, mining engineering and hydrology as well as detailed considerations of the “Yellow Book”. Application was subsequently made to the European Court of Human Rights.
R (Hunt) v Criminal Cases Review Commission [2001] 2 WLR 319
Judicial Review, second junior counsel for the claimant – Power of the Commissioners of the Inland Revenue to prosecute on indictment without the consent of the Attorney-General.
R v et ors Maidstone Crown Court
Junior counsel. Multi-handed identity fraud. ? was the only defendant to avoid a custodial sentence.
R v M et anor, Winchester Crown Court
Junior counsel. Allegation of misfeasance in public office surrounding the provision of services to the newly formed Afghan police force. acquitted.
R v S et ors, Southampton Crown Court & Court of Appeal
Counsel for the first defendant in a multi-handed conspiracy to defraud, alleged to have been worth hundreds of thousands of pounds. The defendant was acquitted on the most serious count on the indictment following submissions of no case to answer based on the legal nature of the conspiracy and whether the single count actually alleged a “rolled-up” conspiracy. The prosecution attempted to appeal the no case to answer judgment, however the Court of Appeal sent the case back to the Crown Court for formal not guilty verdicts.
R v M, Southwark Crown Court
Junior counsel in serious and complex fraud attracting large scale media attention.