Mountford Chambers delivers a nationwide and international service to clients, who are assured quality advice, advocacy and representation at all levels.
Mountford Chambers delivers a nationwide and international service to clients, who are assured quality advice, advocacy and representation at all levels.
Tom has conducted a number of cases involving gangs and organised criminal groups. Tom has experience of cases investigated by the National Crime Agency, Trident, The Flying Squad and Territorial Support Group. Tom prides himself on his tactical approach and sound judgment on the evidence. Tom has dealt with cases of murder, attempted murder, firearms and other offences of the utmost seriousness. Tom has also acted as lead junior in homicide cases.
Tom has acted in some of the largest drugs conspiracies prosecuted Nationwide. Tom recently defended an individual prosecuted after EncroChat messages revealed him to be couriering drugs in Hertfordshire. Tom defended the third defendant in what has been described as the largest conspiracy involving the Chemsex Scene in the country. Tom’s attention to detail mean that he is particularly adept at deploying material to maximise its effectiveness whether from telephones, surveillance or other sources.
Tom has also conducted a number of cases of rape, serious sexual assault and other sexual offences. He has a measured approach with complainants that is sensitive but effective and has questioned witnesses dependent on intermediaries and from professional backgrounds. Tom is acutely aware of the sensitivities that surround this area of the law and has an ability to put clients at ease when facing serious allegations. Tom has also had significant success in cases of domestic violence where Tom’s careful but probing questioning have been used to high effect.
R v DT, Central Criminal Court
Attempted murder/possession of a firearm with intent. Gang on gang violence in Leyton where gun was fired into an amusement arcade.
R v PB and others: Isleworth
Acting alone. Attempted murder. Gangland shooting with a sawn-off shotgun. Four handed case involving joint enterprise, cell-site and association with other defendants. Offence recorded on CCTV where D accepted presence. Crown put the case on joint-enterprise basis.
R v ME and others Preston Crown Court
Led by QC – bad character application involved scrutinising the facts of a previous robbery which involved other gang members and the role played by the defendant where the sentence received was significantly lower than would have been the case on the Crown’s full facts. Evidence in the case involved telephonic contact and association, cell site and tracker evidence as the gang were dealing drugs in the Northwest.
R v GL Inner London Crown Court
Gang murder trial lead by QC.
R v PU Isleworth Crown Court
Attempted murder. Tom’s client was less than a foot away from the shooter who fired at point blank range causing life threatening injuries to the complainant’. The case involved cell site analysis of the day’s movements of each defendant. Tom cross-examined the expert to demonstrate his client was not co-locating with his co-defendants throughout the day. Tom’s client was unanimously acquitted.
R v BAB and others Central Criminal Court
Attempted murder/possession of a firearm with intent – Acting alone – case involved extensive bad character relating to a gang in East London. The bad character included several drill videos, police intelligence regarding gang affiliation, gang graffiti in a person’s house, association with other gang members including arrests not leading to a criminal conviction.
Gangland attempted murder by stabbing.
Attempted murder by a drug dealer of a rival gang. Case involved near fatal stabbing to the neck.
R v GU and others Wood Green Crown Court
Case involving an acid attack by a gang during a fight. Case involved extensive analysis of CCTV and joint-enterprise as well as another gang related bad character application.
R v BS Inner London Crown Court
Leading junior. A large-scale conspiracy to supply drugs of all types lasting three-months. The case involved over 80,000 pages of evidence and involved a highly sophisticated operation. The case involved weighty phone evidence, cell-site, surveillance and ‘cut-throat’ defences. During the trial Tom successfully argued that a huge tranche of incriminating phone evidence should be excluded under s.78 of PACE. The case was prosecuted by Queen’s Counsel.
Acquittal for conspiracy to supply class A. Tom adduced a confession from a co-defendant (who refused to attend court) via the hearsay provisions. Tom also cross-examined the drugs expert to the extent that he agreed with the range of prices for drugs as suggested by the defence and significantly undermined his expertise.
Drugs case involving alleged association with a gang. The application to call D a gang member was successfully opposed.
R v MB Wood Green Crown Court
Conspriacy to supply class A. Tom’s client was acquitted having successfully advanced the defence of duress. Dogged efforts in disclosure meant that key evidence of the duress could be advanced. This resulted in disclosure which included an Osman notice, a 999 recording of a knife attack and attacks on the defendant’s home were.
R v JY Aylesbury Crown Court
Rape, trial and retrial following a hung jury. Case involved cross-examination on sexual history as well as cross-examination of an expert on genital injuries.
R v AK Guildford Crown Court
Complainant was a vulnerable witness. This involved two sexual assaults in the work place. Having not acted in the first trial Tom secured a second hung jury leading to the defendant’s acquittal
R v MH Woolwich Crown Court
Privately instructed defence of an Uber driver alleged to have groped a female employee of a major City Insurance firm. Defendant found not guilty.
R v YQ Blackfriars Crown Court
Another allegation against an Uber driver. The prosecution dropped the case following disclosure of text messages sent by the complainant revealed that she may have consented to kissing the driver.
R v JM Reading Crown Court
Domestic GBH with intent (s.18). Acquittal where defence was that the complainant’s tooth was broken by accident. Tom’s refusal to relent on accepting a statement from a doctor who had not examined the complainant meant that the Crown could not rely on a suspected fracture to the eye-socket, a key plank of their case.
Tom has acted on a number of complex, high-value fraud and money-laundering cases. Tom has an acute mind and spots issues at an early stage. For example in a recent case Tom correctly identified a co-defendant’s handwriting where he had signed under a pseudonym. An expert confirmed Tom’s suspicions and this was used to devastating effect at trial. Tom has an eye for detail and a solid grasp of numbers that make him well-suited to cases of this nature. Tom has acted in cases involving millions of pounds and thousands of pages of evidence, often with great success.
Acquittal of man alleged to have acted as a “mule-herder” in laundering hundreds of thousands of pounds following a two million pound fraud on Wester Ross Fisheries. Tom Called his client who gave evidence of other laundering offences he was involved in, claiming main offence alleged was merely bragging.
R v PV Southwark Crown Court
Tom acted alone for the third defendant in a seven-week CGT fraud valued at over £1.5million. The case involved a direct conflict between Tom’s client and the co-defendant leading to a hostile cut-throat between the two. Tom advised mid-case on standing on an ID parade and detailed cross-examination on client ledgers, bank accounts and conveyancing files. Tom’s client was acquitted, the co-defendant was not.
R v DK and JR Central Criminal Court
A four-week private money laundering case where Tom acted as junior to two defendants lead by Queens Counsel. The case was reported across the national press.
R v HM and others Cambridge Crown Court
Four-week money laundering trial instructed as junior alone representing the partner of a drug dealer alleged to have disposed of thousands of pounds in cash on lavish items such as cars, jewellery and expensive holidays. Tom’s cross-examination of the financial expert meant that the Crown had to concede that the overall figure alleged to have been laundered was significantly lower than originally claimed by the Prosecution.
Tom has experience in delivering specialist representation in a range of criminal regulatory cases, including health and safety, environmental agency and local authority prosecutions.
Tom is regularly instructed in public law proceedings, such as inquests, inquiries and judicial reviews.
2025
Legal 500
Crime: “Tom is an excellent all-rounder. He is impressively agile on his feet and has real presence and gravitas in court. Tom gets on well with his opponents, judges, clients and solicitors. He is a formidable jury advocate.”
Ranked: Tier 3
2024
Legal 500
Crime: ‘Tom is a very able advocate. He is perfectly capable of fighting his corner if required, however, he has the judgement to realise that this is not always the best course for his client’s case. Very impressive.’
Ranked: Tier 3
2023
Legal 500
Ranked: Tier 3
2022
Legal 500
Crime: “Tom is intelligent and articulate, able to communicate with the most difficult of clients. He provides robust advice and advocacy in the most challenging of cases.”
Ranked: Tier 3
A team of enthusiastic barristers and clerks from Mountford Chambers will participate in the 20th London Legal Walk on Tuesday,…
Tom Edwards represented appeared on an appeal against sentence following the defendant having been sentenced to sixty-eight weeks’ imprisonment for…
Five members of Mountford Chambers have appeared in one of the biggest kidnap cases of recent times. Barry Kogan, Tom…
