Date of Call: 1988
Date of Silk: 2010
Julian Christopher has considerable experience in defending and prosecuting a wide range of general crime, with a particular emphasis on fraud; he also applies the same analytical and advocacy skills to civil proceedings for fraud, the confiscation of the proceeds of crime, and advising or representing those served with third party witness summonses. Before taking silk he was Standing Counsel to the Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office for five years, prosecuting cases involving the creation and promotion of income and corporation tax evasion schemes, drugs importation cases brought on behalf of the Serious Organised Crime Agency, and cases involving diversion fraud, evasion of VAT or Anti-Dumping Duty, and money laundering. He has also been instructed to prosecute on behalf of the DTI/BERR, the SFO, and the MHRA; and to defend in four contested murder cases since 2007.
Recent significant cases have included:
• R v Kedar and others: prosecuting 12 defendants engaged in the importation of 12 tonnes of cannabis resin hidden in the fresh water tanks of a tugboat;
• defending a teacher charged with making indecent images of children on his school computer, where the images were of Japanese teenage pop idols intended for sixth form course work (case withdrawn from the jury at the close of the prosecution case);
• prosecuting an allegation of administering a noxious substance, arising out of the supply of Chinese herbal medicine which destroyed the patient’s kidneys;
• defending a 15 year old girl charged with the murder of her newborn baby;
• R v Leaf: prosecuting fraudulent company purchase schemes involving the evasion of £50m in corporation tax; and
• defending a “whodunit” murder involving contested statistical evidence.
Julian also lectures on Privilege and Disclosure, teaches Advocacy for Gray’s Inn, and is a contributing editor to Archbold (in respect of the chapters on Trial, Privilege and Disclosure, and Offences under the Theft & Fraud Acts).
Julian is recommended as a leading junior for Fraud in Legal 500 2009. He is also recommended as a new silk in Chambers and Partners 2011.