Joe Hingston

The core of Joe’s practice is criminal defence, which in recent years has encompassed instructions in defending cases of murder and serious organised crime, both as led junior and junior alone.

Joe has been instructed in a number of high-profile murder cases, often representing the first Defendant in multi-handed trials. Those cases have included a variety of complex issues, including cause of death, crime scene reconstruction, evidence from anonymous witnesses, and joint enterprise. He has been prosecuted by Treasury Counsel in almost all murder cases.

Joe has been instructed to defend in wide ranging allegations of serious crime. He is currently instructed as lead junior in a case said to relate to a major international crime organisation involving the alleged importation of many hundreds of kilos of class A drugs and large quantities of unlawful firearms.

He also continues to be instructed in a large number of cases falling under the umbrella of Operation Venetic, arising out of the taking down of the EncroChat telephone system by French and Dutch police.

Outside of these areas, Joe defends in cases spanning the almanac of criminal offences, including allegations of serious violence often involving multiple defendants, complex forensic evidence, “dangerousness”; firearms, where the issue of duress is raised; and road traffic offences which have resulted in fatalities.

Notable Crime cases

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Murder and serious violence

R v NO (Snaresbrook Crown Court)

Instructed alone to represent a 17 year old charged with attempted murder. The defendant, who was vulnerable and had no previous involvement with the criminal justice system, became embroiled in an ongoing feud with a gang in north east London and had armed himself. The defendant ran self-defence and was acquitted of both attempted murder and section 18, GBH.

R v Kwateng (Central Criminal Court)

Represented the first defendant in a multi-handed allegation of murder. The fatal stabbing of a gang rival took place in a busy street in south London in broad daylight. The entire episode was captured on CCTV. There was extensive litigation in respect of gang affiliation, including videos, rap lyrics and police intelligence. The defendant was acquitted of murder and manslaughter.

R v AM (Central Criminal Court)

Represented one of four defendants charged with a gunshot murder in a residential street in south London. The defendant was said to have been the assigned ‘getaway’ driver in the shooting. The case involved extensive digital and CCTV evidence. The defendant was acquitted of murder and manslaughter.

R v Rahman (Central Criminal Court)

2-handed murder trial. Represented first defendant. Case concerned gang rivalry in the local Bengali community. Sensitive cultural issues.

R v Azad (Reading Crown Court)

7-handed murder trial. Represented first defendant who was said to have been the principal in the stabbing of a rival in a residential street with swords.

R v JW (Central Criminal Court)

Junior alone instructed to represent youth charged with attempted murder of individual on a busy commuter train in gangland retribution.

R v JC (Central Criminal Court)

Junior alone instructed to represent youth charged with attempted murder. The background was a bitter postcode gang rivalry in east London.

Firearms, drugs and serious organised crime

R v FR (Harrow CC)

Operation Eatchief: Defendant part of a network involved in the sale of firearms, including machine guns, to criminal associates in London. Defendant said to be part of a network preparing for a so-called ‘race war’ who were stockpiling weapons and explosives.

R v YG (Manchester CC)

Operation Whisperously: The Defendant, who was an American national, was indicted alongside six others with importation of cocaine into Manchester airport, valued at nearly £20million. The group had organised for consignments of cocaine to be imported on flights into Manchester from Cancun in Mexico by local drug cartels – with the assistance of corrupt Mexican airport officials.

R v JZ (Southwark CC)

Operation Huai: Defendant played the leading role in running at least a dozen separate brothels from residential premises across London over five years and exploiting scores of women recruited from overseas. Millions of pounds passed through bank accounts linked to her, and then laundered through the purchase of properties in the UK and in China.

R v DC (Ipswich CC)

Operation Hornstay: The Defendant was said to be a member of a well known Organised Crime Group based in Ireland. Hundreds of kilos of cocaine, including firearms and ammunition, had been imported to Ireland from the continent. The Defendant was said to have been in charge of the logistics for transportation in the UK and onward importation. The case was particularly sensitive because of considerable press interest from Ireland.

R v SR

Operation Uptown: Leading junior in defence of alleged member of a London gang who travelled to Bournemouth to commit armed robbery of a jewellery store in broad daylight.

R v DB (Truro CC)

Operation Ligament: Represented member of a London organised crime family trafficking drugs and vulnerable individuals to the south west. Acquitted after trial.

R v Farah

Junior alone. Defendant accused of committing twelve armed robberies of banks and building societies across north London over a 4-week period. Complex issues regarding mental health.

R v HK

Defence of money trafficker said to be sending money to Turkey to benefit terrorist organisations in Syria.

R v Pellett

Defence of a UK Border Agency officer charged as the principal defendant in the importation of drugs and firearms into the UK. Case garnered significant press attention.

R v MB

Defendant acquitted of tobacco smuggling on a significant scale. Prosecution relied upon on-board ‘thermal” data never previously deployed in criminal trials.

R v McGrath

Defendant charged with multiple counts of blackmail and section 18 wounding. Eight-week trial with Crown alleging Defendant was a “one-man mafia”. Acquitted of all but one count of blackmail.

R v Sanas

Charged with international trafficking and serious sexual offences. Two linked trials took place amidst heightened media interest.