Christopher Smith

Chris is a highly regarded criminal law specialist with extensive knowledge in all aspects of the area.

He acts regularly for both prosecution and defence over a broad range of offences and his current caseload involves offences as diverse as rape, fraud and the supply of controlled drugs.

He has developed a particular expertise in respect of fraud and money laundering offending and has significant experience of confiscation proceedings. He has been instructed in cases involving the Regional Asset Recovery Team and the Serious Organised Crime Agency and on more than one recent occasion has received instructions directly from the Central Confiscation Unit in London.

Chris has appeared before the Divisional Court in respect of both Judicial Review and Case Stated proceedings and has made numerous appearances before the Criminal Division of the Court of Appeal in respect of appeals against conviction and sentence.

He has a highly organised and conscientious approach to his work and is known as a “breath of fresh air” around Chambers.

Areas of Expertise

Fraud and money laundering
Confiscation Proceedings
Appeals against conviction and sentence

Reported Cases

Maher v. DPP (20060 170 J.P. 441; (2006) J.P.N. 780
S. v. DPP [2008] 1 W.L.R. 2847; [2008] A.C.D. 46
R. v. Bradford Crown Court ex parte Parker [2007] R.T.R. 30; [2007] A.C.D. 44; (2007) 104(5) L.S.G. 31

Notable Cases

Crown Court

Operation Harpoon (York/Leeds CC)
Junior Counsel instructed to prosecute men responsible for establishing and running a multi-million pound cannabis factory. Instructed solely in relation to allied money laundering proceedings against linked Defendants.
Operation Hacienda (York CC)
prosecuting a man who featured on BBC’s Crimewatch and who was ultimately convicted of burgling a number of large isolated country houses and halls stealing antiques worth in excess of £50,000.
R -v- Tuttle (Hull CC)
Junior Counsel instructed to defend one of many former employees of a care-home all accused of ill-treating the mentally handicapped residents.
Operation Honesty (York CC)
Junior Counsel instructed to prosecute those behind a national network of brothels.
Operation Princeville (Bradford CC)
Junior Counsel instructed to prosecute a number of men concerned in a significant mortgage fraud conspiracy.
R -v- Mumtaz & others (Bradford CC)
Junior Counsel instructed to prosecute thirteen men accused of gang violence in Keighley, West Yorkshire.
R -v- Sean Traves (Teesside CC)
Prosecuting a pyromaniac accused of deliberately setting a series of fires in and around rural North Yorkshire.
R -v- Bowdler-Orme (York CC)
Prosecuting a man who admitted seriously assaulted a young homosexual complainant – case adjourned for Newton Hearing on possible ‘hate crime’ issue.
R -v- James Wilkinson (York CC)
Successfully defending a man accused of branding his son with a hot cigarette lighter.

Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)

Attorney General's Reference No.8 of 2008 sub nom R -v- Geoffrey Paul McMillan-Smith & R -v- McMillan-Smith (Geoffrey Paul) [2009] EWCA Crim 732.
R -v- Hughes [2007] EWCA 1694
R -v- Dawson & Dawson [2007] EWCA CRIM 322
Attorney General's Reference No.96 of 2005 sub nom R -v- Didi [2006] EWCA Crim 114.
R -v- Douglas (Hazel Lee) [2004] EWCA Crim 61.
R -v- Savoury (Steve) [2003] EWCA Crim 1505.
R -v- Taylor (Richard) [2002] EWCA Crim 2151.
R -v- Clark (Stephen Robert) [2002] EWCA Crim 2002.
R -v- Parks (Craig) & Judge (Westley) [2002] EWCA Crim 534.

Divisional & Administrative Court

S -v- Director of Public Prosecutions [2008] EWHC 438 (Admin)
Case Stated
R -v- Bradford Crown Court Ex Parte Parker [2006] EWHC 3213 (Admin)
Judicial Review
Maher v Director of Public Prosecutions [2006] EWHC 1271 (Admin)
Case stated