Peter Kyte KC > Chambers of Adrian Darbishire KC and Selva Ramasamy KC > London, England > Barrister Profile

Peter Kyte KC

020 7933 8855 barristers@qebhw.co.uk

Position

Peter Kyte has been a leading criminal barrister since 1996. His cases have covered the widest spectrum of offences. He prosecutes, but mainly defends, and firmly believes that having experience of both sides provides advantages. Exclusively engaged in criminal work. Prior to taking Silk, his work was divided fairly evenly between prosecution and defence. For many years, he has practised in the field of commercial crime, major drugs trials and a variety of homicide cases. His experience includes mortgage frauds, such as R v Okosieme, R v Athey and R v Dearsley and others; and numerous other commercial fraud cases, including R v Clamp (persistent theft of diamonds by a de Beers sorter), R v Mcrea (large-scale defrauding of the NHS by a dentist) and R v Dass (corruption by an employee of HM Customs and Excise). He defended in R v Lee, the first share ramping trial subsequent to new legislation designed to protect stock exchange investors. He was also involved in a 16-month trial representing a quantity surveyor charged with a building fraud (R v Beard and others). He has defended in major drugs trials, including Operations Julie and Donna (LSD manufacture) and R v Warburton (the first trial involving Michael Michael, the supergrass). He has acted in many murder cases, both domestic and professional and those involving drugs and firearms. He has also acted in cases relating to ‘honour killings’, such as R v Adan and R v Bashir; and triad killings, including R v Lau and others. He has also been involved in numerous other cases, covering a wide range of criminal practices, such as money laundering, arson, sex crimes (including historic assaults on children) and armed robbery (R v Hoines, a lorry hijacking case). In 1997-98 he was called to the Cayman Islands Bar to defend in two gangland murder trials. Peter is a leading legal assessor/adviser and advises many of the fitness to practise panels, such as the Professional Conduct Committees.

Career

Qualified Gray’s Inn 1970; QC 1996.