Practice Profile
Nicola has substantial experience across all levels of civil and criminal and military courts in the UK and overseas territories.
She accepts instructions in serious crime, public law / inquiries, coronial courts.
Nicola is an experienced leading junior in relation to organised crime prosecutions. She has acted for the CPS CCU as leading junior modern slavery and people trafficking and Op Venetic multiple defendant drug cases.
She is happy to receive instructions, and has successfully acted in, cases unled where counterparties are represented by leading counsel.
She has more than three decades of experience both prosecuting and defending the most serious and sensitive cases involving sexual offending including in cases where parties lack capacity.
Nicola as retired RAF officer also has substantial experience in Courts-martial/ Boards of inquiry / military advice.
Inquests – she has acted for families of the deceased and other interested parties including Article 2 Inquests.
Public Inquiries – she has experience in public inquiries in three jurisdictions in relation to historical abuse.
CPS Grade 4 panel advocate with rape panel membership.
She is a facilitator for the Bar Council’s training of advocates in vulnerable witness advocacy.
She is instructed by the SFO to deal with LPP matters.
Qualified Jersey Advocate
Work Undertaken
Homicide and fatal violence
Organised crime
Trafficking
Serious sexual offending
Cyber crime
Inquests
Courts-martial
Appointments & Memberships
- Lincoln's Inn
- Jersey Advocate
- Admitted to the Bars of Cayman, St Helena, sovereign base area of Cyprus
- Criminal Bar Association
Notable Cases
R v Karbauaskas
Junior for prosecution in a murder trial where the case relied almost exclusively on voice recognition evidence.
Op Farrier
Leading junior instructed by CCU EM – Op Venetic case involving the import export of in excess of 100 kg of cocaine and methamphetamine by an OCG based in the Lincoln area netting sentences of over 100 years handed down
Op Shark
Leading junior in the prosecution of an Northampton based Albanian OCG dealing in tens of kilos of cocaine who were supplying other groups in Milton Keynes and North Devon.
Op Musketeer
Leading junior prosecuting Lithuanian nationals trafficking vulnerable people to Corby where they were exploited and held in debt bondage. Case involved live evidence via courts in Lithuania
Re MC
Acting for the police as interested party in the six week jury inquest involving the suicide in prison of a mentally vulnerable detainee.
R v Reynolds
Complex hacking case involving allegations that a computer programmer had broken into the computer system of a previous employer and dismantled the servers wiping electronic traces of entry on exit.
R v Cousins and ors
Junior counsel in the prosecution of a former member of the infamous Burger Bar Boys in relation to the conspiracy to acquire firearms following the seizure by the police of the 61 Gang’s stash of guns.
R v Horne
Leading junior prosecuting allegations of double attempt murder a revenge attack where a vehicle was used to mow down two men who were encroaching on the drugs patch on the Mountsorrel estates in Leicestershire. Complex issues of cell site, facial recognition and looked after witnesses.
R v Raja and ors
Leading junior prosecuting Derby drugs conspiracy involving the importation via Turkey and onward sale of several kilos of cocaine around Derby.
R v Mutharaja
Attempted murder prosecution of man who pushed a man under an approaching tube train following an argument at a family party.
R v A
Attempted murder prosecution where the Defendant selected his victim on Grinder and stabbed him having planned the method and kept diaries on his homicidal inclinations.
R v A, B, C
Prosecution of three gang members in revenge kidnapping and assault on of their street runners.
R v Ahmed and Dulhumsing
Prosecution of the attempted murder by two who attacked a man with two machete following a drug deal.
R v Horne and others
Prosecution of a 12 week trial of the attempted murder of two who had encroached on the drug patch of the Defendant. One of the witnesses was left in a permanently mentally impaired state without the capacity to give evidence. There was an associated conspiracy to pervert the course of justice with others from prison to menace the main prosecution witnesses meaning they required protected witness status.
R v X
County lines prosecution involving a gangmaster who exploited vulnerable.
R v Petre
Prosecution of a Romanian for trafficking a young woman for prostitution who was brought as a slave to the UK just 5 days after giving birth to her son. Defendant received 16 years imprisonment.
R v Britland and 11 others
Prosecution of a Derbyshire gang of class A and B drug dealers who were using family members to launder bank to bank payments for drugs through accounts via paypal or bank to bank to avoid detection with quantities of cash.
Re X
Advising the Attorney General of Jersey in relation to a sensitive corruption matter.
R V Hamilton and 5 others
Successful prosecution of gang revenge stabbing by 7 Northampton boys who murdered a 17 year old boy in revenge for an earlier incident.
R v R
Successful defence of 21 year old charged with rape during his final year as a successful undergraduate at Universit.
R v K
Successful defence of man with significant learning impairment charged with sexual activity with a child.
R v B
Successful defence of 75 year old woman charged with historical offences involving the aiding and abetting of sexual offences against her daughter.
R v Bienge
Successful prosecution of offences committed by church minister on congregant dating from the early 1990s.
In the matter of K
Transfer of patient lacking capacity from St Helena to England and Court of Protection - new application of Schedule 13 for overseas territories in relation to serious medical treatment applications and comity of High Court Orders.
R v H
Prosecution of father for historical offences of rape on his daughters aged 4 and 6.
R v A
Prosecution of rape of and adult with severe learning impairment leading to adoption of the Advocates Toolkit and use of intermediaries in St Helena.
Independent Care Inquiry Jersey
Representation of States of Jersey police into public inquiry into historical child abuse from 1955 to the present chaired by Frances Oldham QC.
SOJP v Minty, Beghin and other
Acting for SOJP in police disciplinary proceedings in relation to allegations of breach of international law in the case of R v Warren [2011] UKPC 10.
R v Christmas
Acting for member of the jersey judiciary charged with fraud in prosecution by Jersey Financial Services Commission leading to the longest reported judgment in the Jersey Criminal Appeal Court on the interpretation of financial services regulatory legislation.
R v X
Acting for the Plaintiff in a civil claim for the tort of rape following discontinuance of criminal proceedings by the AG of Jersey.
R v L
Acting for defendant who suffered from severe learning difficulties charged with indecency with a child aged 4. The first case involving the use of an intermediary in Jersey. Challenge of the Attorney General's right to prefer a voluntary bill under customary law.
R v Bush
Defence of gang member charged with murder in a daylight execution of rival gang member. Successfully challenged the prosecution application to use anonymous witness evidence in the Cayman Court of Appeal.
R v Ricketts
Defence of Jamaican immigrant in Cayman charged with the robbery, abduction, rape and murder of a prominent women's right activist in Cayman leading to application to appeal to the Privy Council.
R v Rodriquez
Prosecution unled of man charged with murder by stabbing in a bar in Cayman.
R v Martinez
Prosecution of revenge killing linked by single fingerprint.
R v Wardle
Successful defence of woman with a full scale IQ of 55 charged with the murder of her 3 week old baby by shaking.
R v Pudwell
Prosecution of complex internet grooming and child pornography prosecution.
R v A
Prosecution of male on male rape by corporal on a subordinate rank.
R v Dockerill
Prosecution of Loughborough Grammar school master for offences of possession of child pornography.
R v Kilcoyne and ors
Successful defence of member of the Royal Tank Regiment charged with the gang rape of a German civilian.
R v X
Junior counsel in defence of 17 year old charged with infanticide of her baby.
R v Dayus and 5 others
11 week prosecution for fraud in relation to the presentation of fraudulent documents in probate proceedings to frustrate the trustee in bankruptcy.
R v B
Defence of a woman charged historical offences dating back to 1990 with sexual abuse and cruelty to her child.
R v C
Defence of a man with mental impairment charged with offences of rape and buggery committed when he was 11 to 14 years of age dating back some 25 years.
R v Kennedy and Stone
prosecution of male and female defendant charged with rape of children and inciting children to commit sexual acts with each other. Combined sentences of 56 years received at the conclusion of trial.
R v Lord
prosecution for rape. Both Defendant and complainant required intermediaries and both suffered from significant educational impairment.
R v Ahmed, Scarlett, Farrell, Brivitt and another
Successful prosecution of members of the feared 61 Gang in Birmingham on behalf of the CCU for firearms offences. Sentencing of 43 years were handed down to five defendants. The trial received evidence of gang association, drill and trap videos posted by the gang along with electronic medial and social media demonstrating the use and acquisition of firearms in the west midlands to pursue violence and intimidation of opposing gangs.
Bollili and Nuur
Prosecution of men involved in the trafficking of vulnerable 14 year olds for sexual exploitation who were removed from a childrens home.
R v C
Successful defence of woman charged with sexual abuse of her children who had featured in a television documentary decrying the Jehovah’s witnesses as condoning sexual abuse of children.