With over 30 years of trial and appeal work, David Bentley KC brings this experience and judgement to bear on every case he undertakes. Recognised as a leading heavyweight silk, with a practice based largely at the Old Bailey, David is instructed in many of the highest profile and most challenging cases that come before the courts.
He is a senior member and past leader of Doughty Street’s Crime Team – top-ranked in both Chambers and Partners and the Legal 500.
His practice, though focused in recent years on murder and terrorism, also takes in financial crime and sexual offences.
Although he is committed to dealing with publicly funded cases, he is also able to bring his top-tier experience to bear in dealing with private clients who wish to obtain the best possible outcomes. He recognises that individuals facing charges, whatever they may be, need sympathetic and expert representation.
David has been highly ranked as a leading silk in both the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners for many years:
“David is very tenacious and good at thinking out what will happen. He is realistic, strategic and focuses on the important points.”- Chambers and Partners 2025
"David's capacity to get to grips with the issues in a case and his unflustered nature are impressive. He's an extremely capable jury advocate who provides a real sense of calm and composure to clients."- Chambers and Partners 2025
"David is an erudite barrister with an impressive command of the law, able to distil a lot of complex information quickly and easily. In court, he is a compelling and persuasive advocate who juries warm to." - Legal 500 2024
"He has a very good command of the law and facts, and possesses very good judgement." - Chambers and Partners 2024
"From a defence point of view he is a fantastic tactician." - Chambers and Partners 2023
"David is a compelling advocate. When he speaks, both judges and juries listen. In addition, he has a masterful command of the criminal law, and his submissions on the law are always well-thought-out and persuasive." - Legal 500 2023
“Extremely personable and very thorough.” - Chambers and Partners 2022
“He deals with difficult cut-throats well, giving ground when he ought to and standing ground when he has to. His performances are impressive.” - Legal 500 2022
“A superb advocate who gets results.” - Legal 500 2020
Noted for representing defendants “in complex cases with joint enterprise issues.” - Legal 500 2018
"He remains calm in any storm and his judgement is always spot-on." - Legal 500 2017
Commended for his “diligence and cleverness.” - Legal 500 2013
This is a key component of David’s practice. Many of his clients are young and vulnerable – often caught up in gang-related violence. David is experienced in defending in multi-defendant cases, where issues surrounding joint enterprise often arise.
David has increasingly represented clients facing serious sexual allegations in recent years, both at trial and in appeals. Many of these cases are heavily reliant on contested forensic evidence, an area in which he has particular expertise (see below).
David has particular expertise in dealing with complex forensic evidence, and has written extensively on the use and limitations of DNA evidence. He is co-author of the DNA chapter in the leading textbook, Rook and Ward on Sexual Offences. He has contributed to media, and in 2024 featured in the BBC Archive on 4 broadcast, DNA, Crime and Controversy. In 2025 he was invited as a guest speaker at the Bond Solon Expert Witness Conference, the UK’s largest gathering of expert witnesses.
David has a key interest in potential miscarriages of justice, and is regularly called upon to provide a second opinion and to review disputed convictions or excessive sentences. He has extensive experience of drafting and arguing grounds of appeal, and also in drafting submissions to be sent to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC).
David has advised in relation to several contested murder convictions in the Caribbean. He also advised Anwar Ibrahim (now prime minister of Malaysia) relating to a conviction for which he was subsequently pardoned due to “ a clear miscarriage of justice.”
David has extensive experience in providing focused pre-trial advice, trial representation and appeal advice. He also advises on related confiscation matters. He has advised professionals in relation to resisting or limiting the scope of PACE production orders and related issues of legal professional privilege (LPP).
Through his many years of practice, David has defended in numerous large scale frauds and money laundering trials.
Cases include securing a substantial reduction for his client in a multi-£M SFO “hidden assets” confiscation claim, and obtaining an acquittal for a solicitor at her trial for fraud in relation to a major police operation targeting high-value defence costs order claims.
He successfully defended two solicitors facing a private prosecution alleging fraud, persuading the trial judge to uphold an application to dismiss/abuse of process.
David has appeared in several high profile terrorism cases.
David accepts both publicly and privately funded instructions. He is also registered to accept Direct Access instructions.
This is a key area of David’s practice.
R v Prosper, Luton Crown Court, March 2025. Triple murder.
R v Abdi, Central Criminal Court, January 2025. Drugs murder.
R v Kurtev, Canterbury Crown Court, November 2025. Murder charged. Manslaughter plea accepted.
R v Felomina, Central Criminal Court, May 2024. Drug related murder – D cleared of murder/manslaughter
R v ALH, Central Criminal Court, September 2024. New Years Eve Primrose Hill stabbing. Retrial pending.
R v Oum-Bassaga, Snaresbrook Crown Court, July 2024. Manslaughter, cleared of murder.
R v Pendlebury, Central Criminal Court, October 2023. High profile Ealing murder case.
R v J Thomas, Isleworth Crown Court, November 2023. Double attempted murder (firearm).
R v Ahmed, Isleworth Crown Court, October 2023. Manslaughter and firearms charges- cleared.
R v Henneberry, Warwick Crown Court, May 2023. Joint enterprise murder. Cleared of murder.
R v KH and others, Central Criminal Court, December 2022. Gang murder of taxi driver. KH cleared on murder/manslaughter
R v MacDonald, Winchester Crown Court, July 2022. Murder of rough sleeper. Manslaughter plea accepted.
R v Chao, Hove Crown Court, July 2021. Solicitor tried for attempted murder of a police officer. Insanity defence successfully run.
R v Maalin, Woolwich Crown Court, September 2021. Cleared of murder.
R v Masumbundu, Cambridge Crown Court, March 2021. “County lines” murder. Cleared.
R v Medlock, Woolwich Crown Court, December 2025. Neo-Nazi terror attack on solicitor’s office. D found unfit to plead, and given hospital order.
R v Keeler, Central Criminal Court. ISIS-related charges. Cleared.
R v Shivers and Duffy, Antrim Crown Court (NI). Terror-related murders at army barracks. Cleared on appeal.
R v Broughton, Oxford Crown Court. Animal rights “terrorist” incendiary bomb attacks on Oxford Colleges.
R v Pedro, Woolwich Crown Court, January 2025. High profile conspiracy to rob of £1.5M designer watches.
R v Kurtev, CACD, 2025 – A-G reference (sentence)
R v Henneberry, CACD, 2024 – conviction appeal
R v Sean Brown, CACD, 2024 – conviction appeal
R v Carpenter, CACD, 2023 – conviction appeal
R v M, Kingston Crown Court, 2023. Referral advice and drafting grounds of appeal for company director re appeal against £600K fraud conviction (s2 Fraud Act 2006).
R v Saunders, Southwark Crown Court, 2020. 6 week contested POCA “hidden assets” trial. Realisable amount reduced from £14M to £1.4M.
R v Bashir, Southwark Crown Court, 2018. Solicitor cleared of involvement in multi-£M legal aid fraud.
