Mountford Chambers delivers a nationwide and international service to clients, who are assured quality advice, advocacy and representation at all levels.
Richard is regularly instructed on cases involving allegations of death or extreme violence, drugs conspiracies with issues of complexity or an international dimension and other serious allegations usually involving organised crime.
He has been instructed in a number of cases on third party contempt of court.
Private Prosecution
Richard began his private prosecution practice after the introduction of the Hunting Act, advising on and prosecuting various individuals for offences under that Act. He has developed his private prosecution practice and advises regularly on the merits.
He acted with Charles Bott QC for the main defendant in the “Mother of Satan” bomb case at the Central Criminal Court. He acted as leading junior for a defendant accused in the Lawrence Dallaglio sex worker/drugs case. He acted for the defendant in the Stafford fireworks warehouse explosion which resulted in two deaths, one employee and a customer, in the resulting gross negligence manslaughter prosecution.
He is presently instructed as leading 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 is also instructed in a number of cases arising out of the taking down of the Encrochat telephone system by French and Dutch police.
In relation to contempt of court, he was instructed in the reported case of Beard, and notably a recent case where the contempt was found not proved by two High Court judges. He was then instructed in relation to the high-profile contempt proceedings brought by HM Attorney General against the former leader of the EDL in relation to a live-stream outside Leeds Crown Court in 2018.
He recently successfully prosecuted two senior UK based executives of a French multinational for fraud, as well as prosecuting two UK executives of a conglomerate based in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for fraud.
Richard’s practice encompasses allegations of a wide range of serious dishonesty and corruption, as well as money laundering.
He was instructed to defend the first individual prosecuted by the FCA for unlicensed lending and acted as leading junior in a six-month tax and duty fraud and fraudulent trading trial brought jointly by HMRC and West Sussex Trading Standards.
He is instructed in a number of the major boiler room prosecutions brought by the FCA and the CPS at Southwark, and is also representing one of the defendants in the £300m Operation Larkshot money laundering case due for trial in 2022 in Leeds.
He recently defended in a test case, the first of more than 600 anticipated prosecutions, brought by HMRC relating to the participation by a taxpayer in a contracts for difference capital gains tax scheme. The defendant was acquitted on an application to dismiss.
Coverage:
He undertakes a lot of appeal work in relation to confiscation and is frequently instructed on a post-conviction basis in relation to complex issues of confiscation including by section 10A interested parties.
He was instructed in the leading case in the Court of Appeal on section 22 POCA relating to revisiting confiscation orders in the light of subsequent events.
He was instructed on appeal in the leading case on errors made by earlier trial counsel during confiscation proceedings.
He was also instructed on appeal against confiscation order for defendant convicted of conspiracy to defraud. Case reported twice in relation to different aspects, including the consequences of proceeding under the wrong statutory regime, and the correct approach to benefit where the corporate veil is not pierced.
He is presently instructed to oppose one of the largest Account Forfeiture Order applications to come before the English courts.
Richard advises and represents parties at all stages of the regulatory process, from giving strategic advice to clients during internal disciplinary investigations, to formal proceedings before regulatory disciplinary panels. He principally represents white-collar professionals.
He has been instructed to advise and/or represent a number of defendants in various commonwealth jurisdictions and also the French criminal courts and is familiar with French criminal law and procedure.
Richard has a broad experience of defending in a wide range of criminal regulatory prosecutions from technical breaches of hygiene regulations to gross negligence manslaughter (the Stafford fireworks warehouse case). He has a particular expertise in cross-examining experts on very technical areas of detail and presenting complex defences which can arise in cases of this sort.
R v B & others
Instructed to represent D5 in a 12-handed breach of the EPR relating to operating a controlled waste facility without a permit.
R v RP
Instructed to represent a D charged with gross negligence manslaughter arising out of breaching fireworks storage regulations
R v R
Instructed to represent a D charged with various offences under the Health Act 2006 and HSWA 1974. Prosecution had to drop the charges after service of a skeleton argument in relation to jurisdiction.
2025
Legal 500
Crime
Ranked: Tier 4
2024
Chambers & Partners
Financial Crime: “He is exceptionally bright and what he does not know there is no need to know.”
“Richard is very intelligent and knows the law. His tactics are spot on and he wins cases.”
“Excellent with clients, excellent on the law: amazing skeleton arguments, amazing analysis and a skilful advocate.”
Ranked: Band 1
Legal 500
Crime: ‘Richard has the ability to make people want to stand up and applaud his closing speeches and wins the most difficult cases there are.’
Ranked: Tier 4
2023
Chambers & Partners
Financial Crime: “Richard is highly intelligent and very hard-working. He is very polished in court.” “He is very thorough and bright.”
Ranked: Band 1
Legal 500
Crime: Tier 3
2022
Chambers & Partners
Financial Crime: “An extremely thorough counsel – someone you definitely want to have on your side.”
Ranked: Band 1
Legal 500
Crime: “Richard is a fierce and hugely bright advocate. He excels in the most challenging of cases.”
Ranked: Tier 2