2 Hare Court

Martin Hicks KC is a leading silk who specialises in the defence of crime, fraud, both domestic and international, and business regulation.

He was involved in the 21/7 London bombing cases and represented the Jamaat al Muslimeen leader, Abu Bakr, accused of terrorism and sedition with Al Qaeda links to the JFK Pipeline Bomb Plot. Other high-profile cases include the Victoria Beckham Kidnap Plot, the trial of Hendy-Freegard (the “bogus MI5 agent kidnapper” and subject of a Channel 4 documentary), Byron Coles (the south London PCC gang as featured in the BBC series “Murder Blue”) and Operation Elveden where he represented senior editorial journalists of the Sun and Daily Mirror acquitted of making payments to public officials for news stories.

Recent instructions include securing an acquittal in a well publicised “Exorcism” killing trial, a suspended sentence for a seafood trader who smuggled £53 million of endangered (CITES) eels to the far east, appearing in the privately prosecuted Allseas multi million investment fraud and acting for a former Quindell director during a 6 year investigation by the SFO and which concluded with no criminal charges.

Martin came to prominence as junior defence counsel in R v Pryce (a 17-year old musician accused of hacking into high security computer systems belonging to the Pentagon and NASA). Through his appearances in cases brought against a range of high-profile individuals, as well as cases arising from a series of “fake sheik” stings by the News of the World, and other matters such as the series of celebrity Rolex robberies and a major mobile phone heist at Heathrow airport, he gained experience of prosecuting as well as defending.

Martin is consistently recommended by the leading industry directories Chambers UK and The Legal 500, he is routinely first choice counsel for many of the major defence firms, and he appears in courts across the UK, as well as overseas. He advises and appears for individual defendants, corporate clients, their directors and officers and national governments and agencies. He also acts on behalf of professionals such as accountants, solicitors and others who face proceedings arising out of their work.

Inner Temple; South Eastern Circuit; Appointed Kings's Counsel 2003; Called 1977.

2007: Called to Trinidad Bar; 2001: Appointed to SFO Panel; 1989–1999: CLE Advocacy Instructor; South Eastern Circuit; Criminal Bar Association; Fraud Lawyers Association.