David Bentley

David Bentley is a criminal law specialist, with extensive trial experience at leading junior level. Considered by Legal 500 to be "carving out a strong reputation", he is also featured as "ranked counsel" in Chambers Guide to the Legal Profession. His practice covers all major crime with particular focus on murder/manslaughter, serious drugs offences and fraud/money laundering.

High profile trials have included R v Powell (blackmail and firearms offences against the QPR football chairman, Gianni Paladini), R v Mentore (the "Prada gang" robberies), R v Meek (the Cripps Corner contract killing), R v Sagar (solicitor indicted for corrupt practices) and R v Megrabi and others (£50M money-laundering scam).

Recently he successfully defended in R v Gatsinzi and others - described by the BBC as "the UK's biggest ever stolen car racket." He also acted for the lead defendant in a major "ghost worker" fraud against the MOD at the Devonport nuclear submarine base ( R v McLaughlan and others).

Current instructions include representing one of 21 accused in an alleged £100M drug supply and money laundering conspiracy, and also representing one of those accused of involvement in a series of violent attacks upon brothels.

Advising in cases concerning miscarriages of justice is a special interest. He has extensive experience in advising on appeals to the Court of Appeal and the House of Lords, and appears regularly in the Court of Appeal. He has also been instructed in several notable referrals from the Criminal Cases Review Commission, including the recent landmark House of Lords decision in R v Kennedy (unlawful act manslaughter & causation), R v James and Karimi (provocation in murder; precedent between HL & Privy Council) and R v G (counsel's conduct of defence affecting safety of conviction).

Other recent appeals include R v Powell (re competence of very young children to give evidence) and R v Atkinson (bad character).

His is instructed in a pending conviction appeal relating to money laundering and criminal property (following on from R v NW and R v Craig), in which it is expected that the law on this controversial area will be definitively clarified.

He has written extensively on issues relating to criminal justice and human rights for both the national press and legal publications, and has contributed to Radio 4's "Law in Action". He also lectures, and has provided training for a range of organisations including the CCRC, Liberty and the DCA. In 2004 he travelled to Turkey on behalf of the Council of Europe and the Foreign Office where he provided training to local judges and lawyers on the fair trial provisions of the ECHR.

last updated May 2008

Year of Call

1984

Education

LLB(Hons)

Email Address

d.bentley@doughtystreet.co.uk

Telephone

Ext 249

Specialist Teams

David Bentley is a member of the following specialist law teams:

• Criminal Law
• Human Rights
• Regulatory and Financial Crime