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What Others Say

He is ranked as a Leading Junior in the current 2023 edition of the Legal 500, having been on a number of occasions previously. He is recommended for drug conspiracy cases. He is described as specialising in serious drugs related crime and the defence of professionals.

He was the winner of the Lawyer Monthly Legal Award 2019 for White Collar Crime.

Overview

His crime practice has an emphasis on regulatory and financial crime, including high value frauds and money laundering instructions.

He is regularly instructed in cases of gravity including allegations of homicide and serious violence, drug importations, armed robbery and firearms offences.

He has been instructed in many voluminous, complex and significant cases, both in his own right and as leading and led junior counsel.

He has particular interests in Contempt of Court, both Civil and Criminal applications.

Amos was a member of the CBA working group who responded to the Law Commission’s Consultation Paper (No. 209) on Contempt of Court.

He is admitted to the approved list of counsel and duty counsel for the International Criminal Court.

Amos has developed a busy Court of Protection practice and is regularly instructed by the Official Solicitor, Local Authorities and Accredited Legal Representatives in a wide range of DOLS and health and welfare matters. He has particular expertise in dealing with clients who have learning difficulties and disabilities, dementia and alcohol/drug addictions.

Amos is often instructed to represent bereaved families, in Article 2 inquests, in cases involving deaths in state custody whether in hospitals, prisons, or in police custody.

Regulatory and Financial Crime

R v Richard Miller – Carlisle Crown Court – Large-scale crash for cash fraud (39 Defendants) 

R v Imran Sarwar – Manchester Crown Court, Led by Rupert Bowers QC – International money laundering 

R v Kimberley Quigley and Others – Manchester Crown Court – Multi-handed Trading Standards prosecution. High-value conspiracies to commit insurance fraud, housing benefit fraud relating to the operation of housing rental companies.

R v Paul Bottomly – Minshull St Crown Court – Trading Standards prosecution. Fraud, relating to the supply of kitchens.

R v Harpal Singh – Stafford – Represented company director. Offences under the Insolvency Act 1986 and Companies Act 2006. Alleged dishonesty relating to company accounts.

R v Christopher Fletcher – Nottingham Crown Court. Led by Simon Csoka QC – Large scale conspiracies relating to the supply of class A drugs and laundering of the proceeds.

R v John Hargreaves – Caernarfon Crown Court – Trading standards prosecution for fraud/ regulatory offences.

R v Ahmet Melin – Wood Green Crown Court. This case was the first prosecution of its kind. It involved the Laundering of the Proceeds of an illegal Poker Club.

R v Ball – Plymouth Crown Court - Led Junior in conspiracy to commit high-value fraud.

R v Maqsood Ahmed – Luton Crown Court - Operation Movement. Led junior in conspiracy to steal and money laundering. 14 handed case, split into several lengthy trials. Involved the theft of high performance vehicles and their onward shipment to Africa. Described by the sentencing Judge as the largest case of its kind ever in the UK. The prosecution sought a confiscation order in excess of £2m. An order of £1,500 was negotiated.

R v Paul Hewett – Liverpool Crown Court – Operation. Led junior, instructed solely to deal with confiscation proceedings involving a benefit figure in excess of £37,000,000.

R v  Liddle and Others – Central Criminal Court –  Conspiracy to Defraud – Nationwide conspiracy.

R v Samani and Others – Leicester Crown Court – Conspiracy to convert criminal property. Successfully defended Company Director who was the only one of 6 defendants to be cleared of all charges. Paperless trial.

R v Alexandra Turc and Others – Central Criminal Court – High value conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering. Involved the skimming and cloning of credit cards on a large scale and subsequent laundering of the proceeds.

R v AI – Leeds Crown Court - Led by Rupert Bowers QC in the successful representation of an accountant, cleared of all charges of conspiracy to commit insurance and mortgage fraud, and money laundering following a 6 week trial.

Other Serious Criminal Offences

R v Anthony Thompson – Manchester Crown Court. Attempted murder. Defendant received life sentence with minimum term of 10 years and 6 months. Case reported at here and here.

R v Shahid Akhtar and others – Preston Crown Court –  Conspiracy to Supply Class A Drugs. This 13 handed case involved the wide-scale supply and distribution of drugs throughout Lancashire. The Sentencing Judge accepted submissions to the effect that Mr Akhtar played a lesser role. He was sentenced to a term of 2 years imprisonment.

R v Thompson – Manchester Crown Court - Successful application to stay the indictment as an abuse of process. Firearms case.

R v Bourke – Liverpool Crown Court - Firearms case in which exceptional circumstances were found to justify departing from the 5 year minimum sentence. 9 months imposed.

R v Gow – Leeds Crown Court - 13 handed conspiracy to burgle – Led junior.

R v Bradshaw – Leeds Crown Court - Led Junior in a 4 week trial defending man charged with 40 counts of arson.

R v Ayub – Minshull Street Crown Court - Led junior in 11 week trial involving 7 defendants on charges of conspiracy to kidnap and false imprisonment. Acquitted following half time submission.

R v Sindhu – Manchester Crown Court - Led junior in 5 handed European Drug importation. Case involved site visit to the Hague.

R v L – 17 year old man arrested for attempt murder. Committed a series of knife point robberies, one in which a taxi driver’s throat was slit. Avoided a sentence under the ‘Dangerousness’ provisions.

R  v M –  Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court - Historic rapes and sexual assaults, multiple. complainants. Indictment stayed following successful abuse of process application, at the close of the prosecution case.

R v JS – Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court – 18 year old defendant, with psychological difficulties, admitted and was dealt with for his involvement in the torture of another young man over a period of approximately 8 hours. Received a relatively lenient, 3 and half years.

R v Dawid Mokrzanowski – Preston Crown Court. This case was the subject of substantial press interest worldwide. Led by David Bentley QC. The Defendant was one of 3 who were all charged following the tragic and brutal death of 6 week old Thomas Gacek, eho died as the result of a shaking injury. Following 5 days of evidence, as a result of medical evidence obtained by the defence, the Prosecution offered no evidence on a count of manslaughter and a further count of causing or allowing the death of a child.

Criminal Appeals

R v Declan Williams, Patrick Thorne, Gerwyn Bailey and Christopher Morris [2019] EWCA Crim 279 – The Court of Appeal gave guidance to their likely approach in large scale drug conspiracies.

R v Jason Flanagan [2019] EWCA Crim 167 – Successful appeal against sentence. Indecent images.

R v RH [2016] EWCA Crim 2064 – Successful sentence appeal for a youth. Armed robbery, in dwelling.

R v David Taylor [2017] EWCA Crim 2209 Successful appeal against a restraining order on acquittal

R v Norman Scarth [2011] EWCA Crim 2228 - Successful appeal against sentence for contempt of court. The appellant was an 85 year old decorated Second World War veteran. The case generated substantial media interest.

R v Hughes (John) [2010] EWCA Crim 3216 – Successful appeal against sentence. Burglary of dwelling.

Prison Law and Crime Related Public Law

Prison Law

He represents prisoners charged with offences against prison discipline. He also appears at parole, lifer and IPP panel hearings.

Public Law

He is regularly instructed in cases involving criminal and civil contempts, including in matters relating to publications. He represents and advises Local authorities, private companies and individuals.

Specialist Hygiene Solutions v Marsh [2019] 4 WLUK 400 – Queen’s Bench Division -  Represented the respondent who was recently diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, a personality disorder and major depressive disorder. He entered late guilty pleas, following the evidence, to breaching undertakings given to the court by publishing defamatory allegations about a pharmaceutical company, its products and directors. He was made the subject of an eight-month custodial sentence suspended for two years.

Attorney General v Scarth [2013] EWHC 194 (Admin) – Divisional Court –  On an application brought by the Attorney General, World War 2 veteran received a suspended sentence for multiple contempts of court.

He has advised on judicial review in matters relating to criminal law and prison law.

R v Mercer involved a challenge to the decision of a Magistrates' Court to commit a youth for trial.

Professional Discipline & Regulation

Amos has a particular interest in Professional Discipline and Regulatory matters and is able to draw on his relevant experience in Regulatory and Financial Crime.

He has represented professionals including Doctors, Accountants and Company Directors in those areas. He has also represented professionals who have faced allegations of sexual offences and has represented Defendants in Criminal matters involving highly complex medical evidence.

He has also appeared on behalf of families and insurers in inquests.

Court of Protection & Mental Health

He has developed a busy Court of Protection practice. He receives regular instructions from the Official Solicitor, Local Authorities and family members in a wide range of DOLS and health and welfare matters.

He has particular expertise in dealing with clients who have learning difficulties and disabilities, dementia and alcohol/drug addictions.

He has a great deal of experience in dealing with expert witnesses and vulnerable witnesses, in contested cases.

He has an interest in cases concerning safeguarding and is used to dealing with complex family dynamics.

He has also, recently, been instructed in a number of cases which have involved issues regarding Covid-19 restrictions, and vaccinations.

He is also a trustee for a Manchester Care Home for people with learning disabilities.

Inquests

Amos is often instructed to represent bereaved families, in Article 2 inquests, in cases involving deaths in state custody whether in hospitals, prisons, or in police custody.

He has a particular interest in cases involving the provision of mental health treatment.

From his other practice areas, he has substantial experience in dealing with, and cross-examining, expert witnesses.