Rod is a defence advocate having practiced at the self-employed and the employed bar. Consequently he has an experienced awareness of the needs and pressures at all stages of representation.
Career Overview
He has led and been led in complex cases of murder, serious cases of sexual offences, drugs and complex fraud. He is a respected and accomplished advocate whose practice encompasses all areas of serious crime. He is a committed barrister with a strong sense of justice which tries to pursue with a down to earth approach.
Rod builds a strong rapport with both lay and professional clients, based on industry, attention to detail, strategic acuity and tactical good sense. He has an effective courtroom manner and gives sensible, realistic advice in a straightforward and uncompromising manner. He is responsive, calm under pressure and has an ability to connect with all throughout proceedings.
Rod has appeared in the Court of Appeal on numerous occasions, successfully overturning convictions and reducing sentences. He has been instructed to provide advice and conduct appeals in cases where he was not trial counsel.
Areas of Expertise
Murder/Manslaughter/Serious Acts of Violence
Drug Trafficking/Importation
Fraud/Conspiracy/Money Laundering
Serious Sex Offences/Historical/Young, Vulnerable Defendants and Complainants
Notable Cases
Callan & others Croydon CC
Drugs – importation of class B through Gatwick Airport facilitated by ground crew (baggage handlers) gang . Acting for “Financer.” Confiscation proceedings. In C of A C’s sentence was reduced on ground findings of liability in confiscation could not justify increase in sentence for index offence.
B & another Peterborough CC
Fraud – Use of phoenix companies to facilitate boiler room fraud.
Chen & others Southwark CC
Kidnappping/blackmail - suspected triad gang – people smuggling – first joint operation between Met and China police.
NB Southwark CC
Fraud – Alleged multi-million pound fraud around importation of butter into EU by external National state milk marketing department. Consequential loss of revenue to EU estimated at about nine billion pounds.
Cairns & others Portsmouth CC
Drugs – Conspiracy to supply class A drugs - heroin. Chain of supply from London to Portsmouth. Defence of matrimonial coercion. CoA quashed conviction on ground of mis-direction on coercion and failure of Crown to disclose co-defs defence statement when particular co-defendant, running cut-throat defence, ran court defence inconsistent with defence statement.
Mohammed & others Portsmouth CC
Drugs – Importation/supply of class c (performance drugs) and supply of heroin by registered pharmacist collecting and re-supplying unused diamorphine from deceased patients.
G & another Southampton CC
Mother together with partner accused of procuring her daughter for sex.
Driver Croydon CC
Historic rape and sexual abuse of two child victims - five year old daughter and four year old friend of family. Amongst social workers, teachers, a child psychologist, a forensic medical examiner, other complainants and friends of the family the prosecution also called a man previously convicted of raping the daughter contemporaneously with the alleged offences against the defendant.
Avetoom & others Leeds CC
Practising solicitor accused of conspiracy to defraud mortgage lenders involving multi-million pound inner city development and numerous residential properties.
St Clair & others Portsmouth CC
Professional clients accused of deliberately assisting their mother in hiding the proceeds of her home, bought with fraudulently obtained state benefits.
Azizi Croydon CC
Attempted rape by trespasser who had followed his victim home late at night.
Frauts Manchester CC
Systematic fraud upon health authorities by owner of numerous care homes.
Grant & others Wood Green CC
Principal in car ringing conspiracy.
Adam & others CCC
A young adult with profound learning difficulties accused of participating in sexual assault on child victim.
Rymer & others CCC
Murder of eccentric millionaire by group of employees.
O’Sullivan & others Isleworth CC
Attempted murder by group of friends following altercation outside night club.
Johnson & others Southwark CC
Importation of large consignment of cocaine concealed in industrial equipment.
Devine Kingston CC
Attempted murder by shooting of uniformed policeman.
Zeng & others CCC
Multi-million pound international fraud upon American computer systems manufacturer, Sisco, using false warranty scheme.
De Freitas ILCC
Alleged multiple marital rapes and sexual abuse.
Alli & others CCC
Conspiracy to defraud and money laundering using websites offering fictitious car insurance.
Adisi & others Woolwich CC
Multiple importations and exportations of class A drugs over two year period.
Yates Woolwich CC
Alleged attempted rape and robbery by trespasser preying on young woman.
Hankin COA
Sentence reduced for defendant who pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and gave evidence for the prosecution in otherwise unsuccessful prosecution.
Catania Blackfriars CC
Alleged attempted rape of adult cousin by extremely maladjusted young man.
Chatralia Croydon CC
Alleged marital rape and sexual abuse.
Adewami Croydon CC
Alleged attempted perverting the course of justice by defendant accused of providing false insurance details following road traffic accident.
Gigg Isleworth CC
Attempted murder during drunken argument.
Kanesh Kingston CC
Wounding with intent by professional man who stabbed his nephew in the eyes during episode arising from long-standing mental illness.
Coke Kingston CC
Young defendant accused of multiple robberies of high-value mobile phones from vulnerable victims at remote bus stop.
Richards Inner London CC
Driver accused of possession of firearm and ammunition when suspected of carrying two passengers with disguises to prospective robbery.
Biddick Croydon CC
Retired professional repeatedly prosecuted for downloading child pornography.
McDonald Croydon CC
False imprisonment and intentional grievous bodily harm alleged against exploited vulnerable woman accused of allowing her home to be used to settle drug dispute.
Adarkwa & others Harrow CC
Alleged attempted kidnapping and assault of potential informant by suspected target of earlier gang shooting.
Rana ILCC
Professional man in his thirties accused of raping two female tourists during a drunken night out.
Peacock ILCC
Man in his late sixties with behavioural issues tried for grooming and sexually assaulting boy of eight having persuaded the boy’s parents to let him stay for a weekend
Kallmeir Kingston CC
Teenage boy accused with sexually assaulting a female child relative five years previously.
Morris Kingston CC
Father tried for sustained child cruelty towards his children.
Terry Maidstone CC
Perverting course of justice - Wife tried for assisting her husband and other members of the family to mislead the police in a murder enquiry.
Gemell Isleworth CC
Attempted murder during drunken argument by defendant who had recently been profoundly disabled by stroke.
Taylor Woolwich CC
Investment gold fraud preying principally on retired investors
Hatton Kingston CC
Revenge kidnap and detention.
Jones Preston CC
Misconduct in public office - Serving police officer accused of misusing authority to seize CCTV showing an alleged assault incident involving an eminent professional footballer.
Stokes Kingston CC
Father accused by daughter of repeated sexual assault.
Kirk Isleworth CC
Drugs – Supplying class A. Man in his twenties accused of supplying class A drugs to schoolboy who consequently died.
Lynch & others Woolwich CC
Established estate agent tried for allowing his managed properties to be used as cannabis farms. Subsequently a POCA application for £1.4m was settled for £70k.
Ramchandaran Kingston CC
Internecine dispute leading to stabbing of head of family.
Charles Croydon CC
Single mother accused of trial neglect and cruelty
Chan ILCC
False imprisonment and torture of take-away proprietor by members of staff.
Adler Woolwich CC
Man in his seventies tried with raping and sexually assaulting nine year old boy thirty years previously, the boy having subsequently been convicted of murder.
Syed Croydon CC
Father accused of sexual assault on his daughter.
Bankole CCC
Fraud on payday lending company by extensive network of putative customers.
Le Woolwich CC
Man in twenties accused of raping female student returning home from west end club.
Nrvall-Staple & others Croydon CC
Drugs – Supplying class A. Young woman accused of conspiring in county line drugs enterprise operated in London to supply the west country.
Bamigboye % others Croydon CC
Alleged fraud by contractors delivering for private postal company.
Steer ILCC
Historic sexual assault allegations, dating back to 1969-70, defeated by successful autrefois convict submission.
Diblawe & another ILCC
Parents accused of sustained child cruelty towards six of seven children.
James ILCC
Child wrongly remanded and sent to Crown Court accused of knife possession.
Khalaf CCC
Murder - Illegal entrant tried for murder of male carer in Hyde Park.
Neylon Croydon CC
Young adult male tried with participation in brutal assault on asylum seekers.
Hussain Kingston CC
Professional man accused of using car as weapon following dispute after house party.
Hardy & others St Albans CC
Man with history of arms dealing accused of supplying firearm to two young gang members.
Bejang Croydon CC
Father accused of grooming and using four year old daughter as his sexual partner.
Stables Croydon CC
Step-father accused of historic sustained sexual assault on ten year old step-daughter.
Bukhari Croydon CC
Professional builder with purported link to security services accused of false imprisonment and threatening to kill letting agent to recover deposit
Le Kingston CC
An interpreter assisting a government department, accused of blackmailing someone for whom he was interpreting and arranging a bribe for a foreign official attending the UK in furtherance of an inter-state protocol.
Sena Kingston CC
16 year old girl discovered hiding a sawn-off shot gun and selling class A drugs for adult county lines gang. Issues of modern slavery, capacity, vulnerability.
Smith CCC
Killing of female by her lodger and leaving body undiscovered for two months. Issues of causation – murder/manslaughter.
Patterson ILCC
Teenage male accused of raping U13 girl whom he met online and sexually assaulting U13 boy while visiting his home
Patel ILCC
Prosecution application to amend available property figure following historic conviction for breach-of-trust theft and subsequent success of family property and fitness businesses.
Sheresthra Snaresbrook CC
Sexual assaults by care worker on designated patient.
Geisha Maidstone CC
Alleged attempted murder in town centre by male who slit throat of one man and slashed the face of his brother.
Ludlow & others Kingston CC
Aggravated burglary by three man attacking young mother and her two toddlers to steal rare pedigree Staffordshire Terrier.
Ahmadi Croydon CC
Minicab driver accused of raping female fare and subsequently indecently assaulting two further female fares.
Kalab ILCC
Suspected gang rape of female in park exacerbated by further rape of victim by male rescuer.
Grey Harrow CC
Robbery – Gang initiation robbery on lone female driver late at night, dragged at knife point from her car, which was then stolen.
Randhawa & others Southwark CC
Fraud – multi-handed on-line fraud on insurance companies.
Kennedy & another Aylesbury CC
Dugs/Firearms – Multi-handed Supply of cocaine and firearms in Northwest London area.
King & others Preston CC
Drugs – conspiracy to supply class A and B drugs from Liverpool to North Cheshire, Skelmersdale and other areas outside the city conurbation.
Dogjani & other Isleworth CC
Burglary – conspiracy to burgle high-value targeted businesses.
Subic & others Northampton CC
Drugs – conspiracy to supply class A drugs in Northants. Client was principal up-stream supplier to local networks of street dealers. Client linked to similar contemporaneous conspiracy tried in Leicester CC.
Phelan & others Leicester CC
Drugs - conspiracy to supply multi-kilos of class A drugs between Coventry and Leicestershire.
Mohammad & others Lincoln CC
Drugs -conspiracy to supply class A drugs between Coventry and Lincolnshire.
G Isleworth CC
Attempted murder during drunken argument by defendant who had recently been profoundly disabled by stroke
G Maidstone CC
Alleged attempted murder in town centre by male who slit throat of one man and slashed the face of his brother.
D Croydon CC
Historic rape and sexual abuse of two child victims - five year old daughter and four year old friend of family.
K Kingston CC
Teenage boy accused of sexually assaulting a female child relative five years previously.
A Woolwich CC
Man in his seventies tried with raping and sexually assaulting nine year old boy thirty years previously, the boy having subsequently been convicted of murder.
S Croydon CC
Step-father accused of historic sustained sexual assault on ten year old step-daughter.
R CCC
Murder of eccentric millionaire by group of employees.
K CCC
Illegal entrant tried for murder of male carer in Hyde Park.
S CCC
Killing of female by her lodger and leaving body undiscovered for two months. Issues of causation – murder/manslaughter.
P ILCC
Teenage male accused of raping U13 girl whom he met online and sexually assaulting U13 boy while visiting his home
S Snaresbrook CC
Sexual assaults by care worker on designated patient.
A Croydon CC
Minicab driver accused of raping female fare and subsequently indecently assaulting two further female fares.
K ILCC
Suspected gang rape of female in park exacerbated by further rape of victim by male rescuer
A Leeds CC
Practising solicitor accused of conspiracy to defraud mortgage lenders involving multi-million pound inner city development and numerous residential properties.
F Manchester CC
Systematic fraud upon health authorities by owner of numerous care homes.
Z CCC
Multi-million pound international fraud upon American computer systems manufacturer using false warranty scheme.
J Preston CC
Serving police officer accused of misusing authority to seize CCTV showing an alleged assault incident involving an eminent professional footballer.
L Kingston CC
An interpreter assisting a government department, accused of blackmailing someone for whom he was interpreting and arranging a bribe for a foreign official attending the UK in furtherance of an inter-state protocol.
N-S Croydon CC
Young woman accused of conspiring in county line drugs enterprise operated in London to supply the west country.
K Isleworth CC
Man in his twenties accused of supplying class A drugs to schoolboy who consequently died
L Woolwich CC
Estate agent tried for allowing his managed properties to be used as cannabis farms. Subsequently a POCA application for £1.4m was settled for £70k.
Other Information
Beyond his practice Rod has a love for cooking and travelling and has discovered that some Erging and regular yoga practice are, if nothing more, the antidote to the compulsive distraction of supporting Chelsea.