Dee Connolly

Work Department

Criminal, regulatory.

Position

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

• Bribery and Corruption
• Confiscation
• Crime
• Defence
• Defending Professionals
• Drugs
• Financial Crime & Fraud
• Inquests
• Murder & Manslaughter
• Police Discipline
• Professional Discipline
• Public Inquiries
• Regulatory
• Sexual Offences
• Violent Crime

Expertise: serious crime; sexual offences; fraud; regulatory; company. Dee has over 30 years of experience obtained across the full range of criminal offences and verified by an impressive array of high profile and widely publicised cases. Dee is instructed to defend in cases of a serious nature in the UK and abroad. She frequently appears as leading junior counsel as well as junior alone in cases alleging murder, attempt murder, fraud (VAT, MTIC, Advance fee, Banking, DSS), money laundering, large scale drug trafficking, kidnap, firearms, offences alleging violence as well as extensive experience of rape and serious sexual offences. Dee has an exceptional reputation for her handling of clients and her dedication to the client’s case. Dee is frequently instructed in privately funded cases by a number of solicitors which exemplifies the quality of her work and the regard in which Dee is held. She is recommended as an ‘elegant advocate who inspires tremendous confidence and is unflappable, engaging and hugely experienced’. Dee is known for her commanding presence and great aptitude in assimilating evidence and cases quickly. Dee has been sent by the British Council to China to teach the Chinese judiciary about the English legal system. Notable cases 2014: R v GG and others – defending in a privately funded, multi defendant historical rape case; R v G leading defence junior in a multi defendant, land bank and carbon credit fraud; R v P leading defence junior in a privately funded company fraud case; R v F (Operation Jammed) defending in a £21m pound international fraud.

Introduction

Dee has over 30 years’ experience as a specialist criminal lawyer dealing with an impressive array of high-profile, widely publicised cases. She has expertise in dealing with all types of sexual offences and has successfully represented numerous clients.  She is well known for her meticulous preparation, analytical skill and the way in which she handles these sensitive and highly contentious cases.

Dee recognises the vital importance of mastering the detail of each case and persisting in ensuring that there is comprehensive disclosure at the earliest opportunity, which is often the key to the just resolution of a case. She is a sensitive and persuasive jury advocate who adds value to each case she undertakes. Dee advises in pre-charge instances and is fully conscious of the need to consider impact, including the reputational impact of the issues in the case. She is fully aware of the need to consider wider issues that can arise, including advice that may be relevant in cases where social services are considering intervention. Dee undertakes privately funded cases and appreciates the advantages of teamwork.

Dee is also known for her work on complex fraud cases, particularly Missing Trader Intra-Community (MTIC) and Very High Cost Case (VHCC) financial crime cases in which she has represented a wide spectrum of professional clients where she is often privately funded. 

She has a commanding courtroom presence and is considered an attractive and engaging jury advocate dedicated to achieving the best possible results for her clients. 

Her international profile continues to grow, including an invitation to teach Chinese Judges and Senior Advocates for the British Council.

Career

Call 1982.

Sexual Offences

Dee is a dedicated defence barrister with an acute appreciation of the impact of a criminal investigation and trial upon an individual and their family. Cases of historic sexual abuse are some of the most difficult and sensitive to come before the courts.   Dee’s reputation for acting in difficult and complicated cases in this area is well known at the Bar. 

Dee was instructed in the trials arising from “Operation B,” where she was leading Counsel in a widely reported historical rape case. She appeared in a multi-handed, multi-victim grooming and rape case involving young girls in the Oxford area. These are cases of utmost sensitivity and Dee fully rises to the challenges they present.

Financial Crime & Fraud

Dee is known for her acuity and ability to grasp the detail of even the most complex of frauds. She advises with clarity including advice pre-charge where appropriate. Her objective is to give unequivocal, strategic advice from the outset, and she is committed to using her formidable skills and experience to ensure that the client has the best outcome achievable. She has an enviable record of acquittals. 

Dee’s experience in financial crime and fraud includes all aspects of asset tracing and Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) applications. 

Notable Cases

OVERSEAS INTERNATIONAL CRIME:

R v W: Instructed in Gibraltar to defend in a privately funded, highly publicised case where video link evidence was used for the first time.

R v D: Currently instructed in a large-scale, multi-complainant serious sexual case involving a lawyer and ex-prime minister and is appearing in the Caribbean courts.

FINANCIAL CRIME AND FRAUD:

Operation Jammed: Successfully defended in Very High Cost Case (VHCC) £35 million fraud

R v RS: Privately funded to defend a professional businessman who had defrauded employers over a period of many years; obtained a non custodial sentence.

Rv M: Successfully defended client in  long-term banking fraud.

R v G and others: Leading junior in large-scale land bank and carbon credit frauds.

CRIMINAL ASSET FORFEITURE:

Operation Ore: International offshore self-invested personal pension (SIPP)’s fraud involving millions of pounds of investors’ monies; Dee’s professional client entered one of the first pleas under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act (SOCPA), which  in part led to a suspended sentence.

Operation Vista: Multi-defendant VHCC case involving international fraud and numerous companies and lengthy forfeiture and confiscation proceedings.

R v G: Leading Junior in multi-million pound multi-defendant Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) case.

SERIOUS SEXUAL OFFENCES:

Operation Bullfinch: Instructed in multi-handed, multi-victim grooming and rape case involving young girls in the Oxford area.

Operation B: Leading Counsel successfully defended accused in historical rape case.

R V C: Leading Counsel in a privately funded historical, multi-complainant, sadomasochistic rape case

R V P: Successfully defended in multi-complainant historical rape and sexual assault case.

R v G: Successfully defended in privately funded sexual assault case on special needs complainant.

R v S: Successfully defended a teacher charged with multi-victim child abuse case. 

R v G: Leading Junior defending an elderly businessman in historical rape allegations spanning 30 years.

Memberships

Elected member of the South Eastern Circuit committee; former junior of Wood Green Crown Court; Family Law Bar Association; pupil supervisor; Lincoln’s Inn pupil trainer; magistrates trainer; AWB.

Education

LLB (Hons).