Practice Profile
Roxanne Aisthorpe accepts instructions for both the defence and the Crown across a full range of criminal matters. Roxanne has a particular interest in serious organised crime and financial crime. To this end, she has amassed valuable experience in large white collar investigations as well as developing a burgeoning practice in advising corporate clients in criminal and pseudo–criminal proceedings.
After finishing the Bar Vocational Course, Roxanne worked in Japan and spent a period of time working for an international law firm, Kojima Law, in Tokyo. Prior to coming to the Bar, Roxanne worked for the Home Office dealing with asylum applications and cases of human trafficking, this included interviewing applicants, making decisions and advocacy at the Immigration Tribunal. This grounding in immigration law is invaluable when dealing with criminal cases with an immigration dimension or clients who have immigration issues.
Work Undertaken
- General crime
- Corporate/White Collar Crime
- Forfeiture & confiscation
- Regulatory
- Prison Adjudication and Parole Reviews
- Private Prosecution
- Judicial Review
- Immigration (including business/corporate)
Publications
36 Crime Newsletter
Appointments & Memberships
- The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple
Notable Cases
WHITE COLLAR
Conspiracy to Cheat the Public Revenue
HMRC - Disclosure counsel for multi-million pound case involving allegations against eleven defendants of conspiracy to cheat the public revenue.
Bribery and Corruption
SFO - Disclosure counsel for SFO investigation into bribery and corruption with an international element at the pre-charge stage.
Witness Summons against a company
Horse Hill Developments Limited
Instructed by oil company part–owned by UK Oil and Gas Investments in relation to a witness summons application made on behalf of defendants facing protest related criminal proceedings at a location where the company had discovered a large amount of oil.
Restraint Order effecting Private Bank
Credorax (Malta) Limited – Instructed in relation to a variation of Restraint Order made by a Crown Court in the United Kingdom that ordered immediate repatriation of a rolling reserve held by a Maltese bank. The order had a detrimental impact upon the contractual rights and obligations of the bank. This matter involved international jurisdictional issues as well as Mutual Legal Assistance.
Civil Fraud
Instructed as third junior for the defendant during the litigation stage of a civil fraud case involving family companies and the fraudulent dissipation of assets
VIOLENCE
Attempted Murder
David Russell - Led junior in attempted murder case in which the defendant had planned the offence whilst the victim was flying from the US to the United Kingdom having met him on the internet.
GBH (Baby shaking)
Carmen Roberts - Accused of shaking her friend’s baby whilst babysitting, involved cross-examination of a child. After trial, the defendant was acquitted of s.18 GBH and sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment for s.20 GBH.
Affray
R v. H - Secured acquittal following trial of head door supervisor accused of common assault and affray following a disturbance outside the nightclub he was working at involving throwing of missiles and use of weapons.
ABH (Domestic Violence)
McCabe - Secured acquittals in domestic violence case, where defendant’s previous convictions for violence against the same complainant had been placed before the jury.
GBH (wounding)
Takle - Successfully defended against allegations of wounding in a domestic where defendant had bad character in relation to the same.
Affray
R v. T, T, P & K - Successfully prosecuted four men for affray involving a revenge attack on a door supervisor. CCTV evidence was key.
SEXUAL OFFENCES
Historic sexual assault by penetration
R v. SB - Secured acquittal of man of good character against allegations of historic sexual abuse from two cousins. His father had pleaded guilty to offences alleged by one of those cousins against him.
Indecent images of children and extreme pornography
R v. MS - Represented man accused of creating, producing and distributing indecent images of children (including his own daughter) and extreme pornography including extensive technical expert evidence.
DRUGS
Conspiracy to supply
R v. H, H, H & J - Secured convictions in four–handed conspiracy to supply Class A & B drugs following trial.
PWITS A
R v. G – Secured conviction in case where youth seen throwing object and Kinder Egg case found containing heroin and cocaine but no DNA evidence.
DISHONESTY
Conspiracy to defraud
R v. Wan & Amiratashani - Successfully prosecuted two co–defendants of conspiracy to defraud at £68,000 involving the purchase of gift cards then used to obtain high–value watches.
False documents
R v. Bennett - Successfully prosecuted a woman who had used forged documents to give the impression that she had indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom, used to enter and exit the United Kingdom on a number of occasions as well as obtain a visa for her son to enter.