Peter Griffiths KC > Chambers of Brian Altman KC & Jim Sturman KC > London, England > Barrister Profile

Peter Griffiths KC

020 7440 8888 pgriffiths@2bedfordrow.co.uk

Position

Fraud: Peter is a corporate fraud specialist and is regularly instructed to defend in complex and multi-handed fraud and money-laundering cases, frequently with a multi-jurisdictional aspect. High profile cases include successfully defending in what is acknowledged to be the SFO’s costliest failure – “Operation Holbein” in which the SFO alleged that certain leading international pharmaceutical companies and their chief executives had formed a criminal cartel and had conspired to defraud the NHS by fixing the price and restricting the supply of antibiotics used by millions of people in this country. The case ran for three years during its complex interlocutory stages including going to the Court of Appeal on two occasions and also the House of Lords. Has conducted a number of MTIC-VAT fraud trials. Instructed to defend the head of what was said to be an eastern European criminal organisation who removed millions of pounds from online customers of Barclays, HSBC, RBS and Lloyds using an extremely sophisticated “Trojan” virus described by the FBI as “arguably the most dangerous yet”. Instructed in 2012/13 in two of the largest Bureau de Change money laundering/fraud cases at Southwark Crown Court (£131 million and the other £180 million.) Currently instructed in a “high-profile” fraud referred to the Welsh Financial Crime Unit by the Welsh Assembly Government. Crime: defends in a complete cross-section of heavy criminal cases throughout the country. These have included R v J (Newcastle) the notorious PC Sharon Beshenivsky murder trial, R v L and Others (Leeds) which was a double murder “Triad” case, R v T a London terrorist trial before Mrs Justice Rafferty, the four-month Johnson Matthey Gold Bullion Robbery Trial heard at Woolwich, the four-month Essex Contract Killing trial heard at the Central Criminal Court and the “Cobham Body-in-the-Wheelie-bin” murder trial in which the victim’s body had been locked in a freezer for three years; this was again heard at the Central Criminal Court. Very recent cases include a child-killing trial and retrial at Leeds Crown Court and the historical 1981 Windsor “Body-on-the-Towpath” murder trial heard at Reading Crown Court which concluded in December 2013. Sport/regulatory: has advised and represented solicitors investigated and/or charged with misconduct including Re: D, a solicitor who acted in the multi-million pound transfer of an English international between two Premier League clubs who was alleged to have breached his professional regulations. Is a member of the Football Association’s Judicial Panel (including Appeals). For further information visit www.2bedfordrow.co.uk.

Career

Called 1970, Gray’s Inn; QC 1995; Recorder 1991.

Memberships

Criminal Bar Association.

Education

Llanelli Grammar School; Hereford Cathedral School; Bristol University (Engineering); Cardiff University (LLB).

Leisure

Sailing, skiing, tennis.