23ES

Criminal Team

Barrister

Joseph maintains a busy practice across the full range of general crime and has acted in cases concerning allegations of serious violence, sexual offences (historic and recent), dishonesty offences, serious road traffic offences, regulatory offences, confiscation proceedings and drug offences, with a particular practice interest in cases concerning human trafficking and modern slavery. In addition to his defence practice, Joseph appears on the CPS External Advocates list at Grade 2.

Outside his work in ongoing trial proceedings, Joseph accepts instructions to advise on appeals against conviction and applications to the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

Prior to joining the Criminal Bar, Joseph was a paralegal for one of the leading lawyers in the field of human trafficking and modern slavery. His work in this area involved working on the preparation of appeals against conviction and sentence for victims of human trafficking / modern slavery who had been convicted in the course of their exploitation.

CRIME:

Joseph prosecutes and defends across a wide range of criminal offences and has been instructed as disclosure counsel on two major cases by the CPS West Midlands Complex Casework Unit. Across his practice in the Crown Court, Joseph has been involved in cases concerning:

1.      Serious violence, including cases involving allegations of causing grievous bodily harm with intent (s 18) and strangulation.

2.      Criminal damage, including matters relating to offences of arson and arson with intent to endanger life / reckless as to whether life was endangered.

3.      Sexual offences, including cases concerning sexual assault, indecent images, child sexual offences (including communication offences and attempted communication offences), breaches of notification requirements and / or protective orders and allegations of historic sexual offending, including allegations of indecent assault.

4.      Offences against the administration of justice, including perverting the course of justice and escape.

5.      Road traffic offences, including cases concerning dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

6.      Drugs offences, including cases in which early challenges have been made over whether a defendant was in fact in possession of drugs and cases in which modern slavery defences have been raised.

7.      Offensive weapons, including cases concerning firearms and bladed articles.

8.      Dishonesty offences, including cases relating to theft, burglary, robbery, fraud and forgery.

9.      Regulatory offences, including prosecutions for offences contrary to the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013, Town & Country Planning Act 1990 and Cattle Identification Regulations 2007. 

Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery:

Joseph has particular practice interests in human trafficking and modern slavery. He has acted in a number of cases, both prosecuting and defending, where issues relating to modern slavery and human trafficking have arisen as issues in the case.

In his defence work, Joseph has been instructed in multiple cases in which a defendant has raised a defence under s 45 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and has advised on numerous cases on appeal in which a convicted defendant has subsequently been identified as a potential victim of human trafficking / modern slavery.

FINANCIAL CRIME

Separate to his practice in general crime, Joseph has undertaken work relating to financial crime and confiscation proceedings. Joseph has been for both the prosecution and defence in relation to such proceedings and has been involved in cases concerning:

1.      Money laundering, including cases relating to the acquisition and transfer of criminal property. Joseph recently appeared instructed for the third defendant in a multi-handed trial in which the defendants had been accused of obtaining money from a fraudulent telephone call.

2.      Fraud, including cases of fraud by false representation

3.      Confiscation, including cases involving issues relating to third party interests in property, challenge to the s 10 assumptions, and hidden assets.