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Doughty Street Chambers
www.doughtystreet.co.uk / enquiries@doughtystreet.co.uk
Peter Lownds
Overview A former solicitor who worked for major City law firm Slaughter and May and gained considerable experience litigating substantial commercial cases, including complex fraud cases. Since transferring to the Bar he has developed a practice focusing almost exclusively on fraud, terrorism, homicide, and serious sex and drugs offences. He regularly acts as leading junior or junior counsel in complex and substantial cases. He has particular experience and expertise in cases involving consideration of computer evidence and issues of forensic science. Criminal Appeals He is regularly instructed on appeal cases and this is an expanding part of his practice. He has a particular interest and expertise in forensic science related issues and was the co-author of a comprehensive article on DNA law and practice published in the Archbold Review in February 2011. Recent high profile cases include R v G; R v J [2009] UKHL 13 in which the House of Lords clarified the ingredients of the offences under s57 and s58 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and Broughton [2010] EWCA Crim 549 a case concerning the admissibility of low template DNA evidence. Courts Martial He has significant experience in representing clients in Court Martial proceedings charged with serious offences including a serious Class A drugs supply conspiracy and a number of cases involving allegations of very serious violence. Homicide & Related Grave Offences He is regularly instructed in gang related murder cases. He represented the first defendant in an extremely high profile case concerning the double murder of John and Joan Stirland (R v Colin Gunn and others). He successfully represented a client charged with the murder of a man at a City of London Nightclub in a case which was one of the first cases to involve consideration of issues of witness anonymity under Criminal Evidence (Witness Anonymity) Act 2008 (R v Okpala). In addition he recently acted for an acquitted defendant in a case involving a fatal shooting at a Barber's shop in West London (R v Richards). He has a background in commercial fraud cases and fraud and money laundering work represents a substantial part of his practice. Recent cases include acting for the Finance Director of Blenheim Estates in relation to a commercial fraud (R v Donaldson) and for the Deputy Head of Legal Services of the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi in relation to a $10.9M fraud (R v Johns). Two other recent cases have involved representing the main defendant in a multi million pound immigration conspiracy and a million pound benefit fraud (R v Sharma and R v Beyioku respectively). He has substantial experience in representing clients in terrorism cases and has particular expertise in dealing with cases involving complex computer evidence. He was junior counsel in R v G; R v J [2009] UKHL 13 (see above). In AG Ref No. 85, 86 and 87 of 2007, R v Tsouli and others he acted for a client who was accused of inciting murder over the internet by running the media wing of al-Qaeda in Iraq. In that case the volume of computer generated material was so extensive that it was cited in Parliament by the Government as the justification for the failed attempt to extend the period of pre-charge detention to 90 days. In R v Khan and others he acted for the only acquitted defendant in a serious and complex terrorism trial concerning allegations of possession of computer related terrorist materials for a terrorist purpose. He is often instructed on behalf of animal rights activists and has represented clients in most of the major cases in recent years. He acted for the pilot of a gyrocopter cleared of both murder and gross negligence manslaughter in relation to the death of a supporter of the Warwickshire Hunt (R v Griffiths). He acted for a client accused of carrying out a bombing campaign in opposition to Oxford University's animal experimentation laboratory (R v Broughton). He represented a defendant charged with conspiracy to blackmail Huntington Life Sciences over a six year period in the largest and most complex animal rights case ever (R v Avery). He acted for a man accused of blackmail concerning a raid on a farm in Lincolnshire breeding rabbits for use in experimentation (R v Pogson). He acted for a client charged with a criminal damage conspiracy against Barclays bank (R v Harris). He also acted for the main defendant in a high profile conspiracy to burgle an animal laboratory (AG Ref No. 54 of 2005, R v Keith Mann). Other Serious Criminal Offences He has considerable experience of defending clients in serious and substantial cases including drugs, armed robbery and serious sexual offences. He is currently instructed on behalf of the first defendant (of 24) in the largest and most complex cannabis production case ever in Europe. The case involves an allegation of the commercial importation of equipment through trading companies for supply to over 50 cannabis farms throughout the UK (R v Dang) and the prosecution have served approximately 1 million pages of evidence. His other recent significant cases include acting for the first defendant in an armed robbery conspiracy concerning robberies at 12 Argos stores in the South East (R v Atkins) and acting for a man acquitted of a very serious allegation of male rape (R v B). Memberships
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