5 St Andrews Hill

Edmund is a leading criminal Silk, ranked in both Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500.

Edmund is a specialist criminal advocate, ranked in both Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500.  He was called by Lincoln’s Inn in 1997 and took Silk in 2019.  He is a Recorder of the Crown Court and the County Court, and is authorised to sit at the Old Bailey. He is also a contributing editor to Phipson on Evidence.

He both prosecutes and defends the full range of serious criminal offences, from complex tax and commercial fraud to allegations of murder, serious violence and other organised crime.  His cases frequently involve multi-defendant trials with an international dimension, such as cross-border arms trafficking & brokering and corruption, and often raise substantial issues of jurisdiction, disclosure, and public interest immunity.  He also regularly provides pre-charge advice on the strategy of responding to on-going investigations particularly into allegations of commercial crime.

Recent instructions and trials include:

- Op Aviary, prosecuting individual and corporate defendants involved in the unlicensed sale and shipment of high-value artwork in breach of the UK's Russian sanctions régime.

- Op Afterburner,  prosecuting the unlicenced arrangements to supply fighter jets, surface-to-air missiles, battle tanks, radar defence systems, assault rifles and ammunition to embargoed or sanctioned states in Africa and the middle east.  Fixed for a 12-week trial at Southwark CC in April 2026.  Leading Ini Udom.

- R v. B, defending a young man accused of murder and manslaughter during a street fight.  After a 5-week trial in February-March 2024 the defendant was acquitted of murder but convicted of manslaughter.  In March 2025 the manslaughter conviction was quashed by the Court of Appeal.  Fixed for 4-5 week trial in January 2026.  Leading Mark Florida-James.

- Op Barbados, prosecuting four consecutive five-month trials at Southwark CC between Sept 2023 and July 2025, arising from a sophisticated £20m VAT fraud. 17 defendants were convicted of Conspiracy to Cheat the Revenue, with a further three defendants convicted of money laundering.  Leading Dominic Hockley.

- Re: TF, advising the beneficial owners of an off-shore company on the mechanisms by which overseas tax authorities can engage the assistance of UK law enforcement to obtain details of a company bank account held in the UK.

- R v. Garay, defending a Peruvian national who lived in the UK, accused of murdering his girlfriend while on holiday in Peru.  The case is believed to be the first murder trial to rely on s.72 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, which allows certain violent offences committed abroad to be tried in the English courts.  Leading Oliver Kirk.

- R v. RHB, defending a university student accused of murder following an argument in the deceased's flat, in a 4-week trial at Croydon CC in June 2023.  Leading Alex Rooke.

- R v. West, prosecuting historic allegations of rape and other serious sexual offences committed against three young girls between 1981 and 2001.  3-week trial at Ipswich CC in April 2023.

- R v. Cranstoun, prosecuting the rape of a family member.  Maidstone CC in January 2023.

- R v. Curtin, prosecuting murder where the defendant has longstanding mental health issues which raise issues of fitness to plead, insanity and diminished responsibility (tried at Basildon CC in early 2023).  Leading Mark Mullins.

- Project Cortez, conducting the private prosecution of an ex-director of the corporate trustee of a private family trust, accused of defrauding it of over $1m.

- Op Demeter, prosecuting a conspiracy to supply prohibited firearms and ammunition, (tried at Southwark CC in October and November 2021). Leading José Olivares-Chandler.

- R v. Vengalis, prosecuting a man accused of murdering his wife (at Ipswich CC). Leading Ben Burge.

- Re: SFO v. S: Advising a former director of an international gas & oil exploration company on the SFO's jurisdiction over allegations of bribery and corruption in the awarding of overseas contracts by foreign states.  The SFO withdrew all proceedings in 2022.

- R v. Hendrickson & others, prosecuting a six-handed murder at Basildon CC between March and April 2021.  Leading Ben Burge.

- R v. Gould and others, leading for the Crown in a 'special court' convened by the Court of Appeal to consider the ambit of s.66 of the Courts Act 2003.  Leading Jamie Sawyer.  

- Re: A Trust: Advising a billion-dollar off-shore trust on its remedies and response to the seizure of its records by law-enforcement agents, and allegations of large-scale tax fraud.  

- R v. Onions & others, a £5m conspiracy to cheat the revenue, plus associated Directors' Disqualification offences (listed for 8-10 weeks at Southwark CC).  Leading Nick Jones.

- NCA v. Filat, representing an overseas PEP in the first ever appeal against Account Forfeiture Orders (Southwark CC);

- R v. Palazu, defending a Romanian national with two previous manslaughter convictions who was charged with murder following a mass fight at a farm-workers' caravan site (3-week trial at Maidstone CC).  Leading Oliver Kirk.

- R v. George & others, prosecuting a three-handed conspiracy to supply fighter jet parts to Iran (6-week trial at Southwark CC). Leading Don Ramble.

- R v. Hughes, a £7m conspiracy to cheat the revenue and money laundering (4-week trial at Southwark CC).  Leading Serena Gates.

- R v. Katabarwa & others, a six-handed conspiracy to commit multiple armed robberies (9-week trial at the Old Bailey). Leading John Warrington.

Before taking Silk, between 2017 and 2019 Edmund was First Junior Counsel to the Met Police, advising on its involvement as a Core Participant in the Undercover Policing Inquiry.

Edmund was Chairman of the Kent Bar Mess from 2022 to 2025, and on the Executive Committee of the South-Eastern Circuit.  Before coming to the Bar, between 1991 and 1995 he was a civil servant at the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), where he was involved in investigating and prosecuting cartels, price-fixing and other anti-competitive practices.

Edmund was called to the Bar in 1997.

A s.9(4) Deputy High Court Judge of the King's Bench Division. A Recorder, authorised in crime (including criminal appeals and serious sexual offences) and civil.  Authorised to sit at the Old Bailey. K.C. member of COIC's Tribunal Appointments Body Member of the Senior Treasury Counsel Pre-Application Mentoring Scheme ('PAMS') Attorney-General's panel of Special Advocates (England & Wales) since 2007. DV security clearance since 2007, with STRAP induction. SFO's panel of prosecution King's Counsel. Prior to taking Silk he was on both of the SFO’s A-panels of junior counsel, and on the CPS’s Grade 4 specialist panels for Fraud, Serious Crime, Rape and Serious Sexual Offences, and Proceeds of Crime. General Dental Council’s Fitness to Practice Panel member 2013-2017.

Asset Recovery, Civil Fraud & Confiscation

Edmund provides experienced and practical advice to clients in confiscation proceedings, and in applications for Restraint, Freezing, Forfeiture or other Civil Recovery (eg Part 5 of PoCA etc).

Business Crime & Financial Regulation

Edmund is a specialist in financial and business crime cases.

Criminal Prosecutions - Private & Public & Inquests & Inquiries

Edmund undertakes Private Prosecution and Inquest & Inquiry work.

Sanctions

Edmund is part of our Sanctions team and accepts instructions in this practice area.

Criminal Bar Association. South-Eastern Circuit. Kent Bar Mess. Fraud Lawyers' Association. Private Prosecutors' Association. Proceeds of Crime Lawyers' Association. Cybercrime Practitioners' Association.

Awards

Sir Thomas More Awards 1996 & 1997 (Lincoln's Inn scholarship awards). Ede & Ravenscroft Prize 1997 (Lincoln's Inn's top-placed student in Bar Finals). Buchanan Prize 1997 (Lincoln’s Inn Student of the Year).