Matt has been working in the area of criminal defence since January 1997. He is an extremely experienced criminal solicitor. Whilst he has a huge amount of experience dealing with all types of criminal cases, over the past 20 years his practice has concentrated on defending in the most serious cases, ranging from large drug conspiracies to serious fraud and violence.
In March 1999 Matt was fortunate enough to join a firm in East London that was (and still is) involved in some of the most serious and high profile criminal cases in the country. His time at that firm saw him regularly dealing with cases that attracted national press attention and cases arising from serious organised crime. The 9 years that he spent there gave him experience that many other solicitors simply do not have.
Since 2008 he has been based in Hertfordshire, but Matt’s reputation and reach covers a much larger geographic area. He is instructed in serious cases all over England & Wales and has a particular interest and expertise in organised crime and financial crime.
Matt’s experience of dealing with the most serious & complex cases has provided him with a comprehensive knowledge of ancillary orders linked to criminal proceedings. He often advises individuals at the pre-charge stage of investigations where assets have been frozen. He also has extensive experience of Proceeds of Crime Act applications, including Restraint & Confiscation Orders, Account Freezing Orders and Cash Forfeiture applications.
Matt has won praise in the legal directories for his client care skills and down to earth personality. Most of his instructions are from individuals that he has advised previously or to whom he has been recommended. However, he also gets referrals from other legal and non-legal professionals.
Outside of work Matt is a Director of a local charity and a Director of Verulam Golf Club where he has been a member for over 20 years.
Some of the highlights of Matt’s career are:
- Travelling twice to Brazil to trace witnesses in what was, at the time, the biggest drugs case ever prosecuted by HMRC (https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/200-years-for-cocaine-gang-6327978.html);
- Defending the third defendant in a case against a man said to be the head of Britain’s biggest crime family (https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/evil-british-godfather-locked-up-after-decades-of-racketeering-7249751.html)
- Defending in the first prosecution of a female for coercive and controlling behaviour – the Court of Appeal refused to increase the sentence which the Attorney General said was unduly lenient (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-44650062)
Some examples of Matt’s more recent work include:
- Successfully defending a man charged with kidnap in a case described by South Wales Police as “one of the most complex kidnap investigations in recent times”
- Defending in several prosecutions arising from the dismantled “Encrochat” encrypted communications app.
- Defending in a multi-handed case at Reading Crown Court where the defendants were said to have created a “Deliveroo for drugs” across the South-East of England.
- Defending an individual charged with Attempted Murder after a man was attacked with a vehicle at Billericay train station.
- Defending a 61 year old man charged with the Attempted Murder of his neighbour.