Practice Profile
Samuel was educated at Oxford University and began work as a barrister in 2007. He prosecutes and defends in the most serious and complex criminal cases.
Samuel’s recent caseload involves murder, terrorism and high-value, international fraud.
Samuel has expertise prosecuting and defending in corruption cases, and cybercrime.
He also spent much of 2018-2019 involved in trials alleging conspiracies to supply industrial quantities of class A drugs; and conspiracies to commit serious violence by criminal gangs involved in the ‘county lines’ drug supply trade.
Samuel also has substantial experience in judicial review cases and case stated appeals in criminal and regulatory matters. He was previously appointed as civil Treasury Counsel concentrating almost exclusively on judicial review cases. He frequently provides second opinion advice on appeal after conviction.
Samuel has appeared in leading cases in both criminal and civil law, which are cited in the practitioner textbooks.
Samuel advises on complex and unusual areas of criminal and regulatory law. He also provides training in these areas. He has advised the Revenue and the police on matters relating to independent counsel, disclosure and search warrants. Samuel acts for Trading Standards departments and advised Birmingham City Council on its powers under the criminal law to prevent the spread of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis. He has also advised national government about criminal infringements of medicines law.
Work Undertaken
- Consumer
- Cybercrime
- Economic Crime & Regulation
- Financial Crime & Fraud
- Health & Safety
- Homicide
- Licensing
- Judicial Review
- Modern Slavery
- Professional Misconduct & Disciplinary
- Regulatory
- Serious Sexual Offences
Appointments & Memberships
Appointed to the CPS General Panel of Advocates at Level 4
Appointed to the CPS Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Panel at Level 4
Appointed to the CPS Serious Fraud Panel at Level 3
Appointed to the CPS Serious Crime Panel at Level 3
Member of the Midland Circuit
Member of Gray’s Inn
Lord Justice Holker Award holder, Gray's Inn.
Exhibitioner of Jesus College, University of Oxford.
Viscount Sankey scholar, Jesus College, University of Oxford.
Samuel is an advocacy trainer for the Midland Circuit and Gray’s Inn.
In 2019 the CCP of the East Midlands CPS awarded Samuel a ‘Chief Crown Prosecutor’s Commendation’
Notable Cases
R v Y – murder
William Harbage QC and Samuel Skinner defended Mr. Y at his trial for murder at the Crown Court at Warwick. It was alleged that he was part of a joint enterprise to stab the victim to death. Following a defence submission of no case to answer, the trial judge directed Mr. Y’s acquittal.
Serious Fraud Office v X
Samuel has been instructed by the Serious Fraud Office, in relation to an investigation into a multi-billion dollar bribery and corruption investigation involving a FTSE100 listed corporation.
R v X – terrorism
Autistic Spectrum Disorder Defence - Samuel Skinner defended in a terrorism trial at Leeds, instructed by Kiran Mehta at Hodge Jones and Allen. It was said to be the largest collection of s.58 terrorist material ever prosecuted in the UK. The trial judge accepted the defence argument that autistic spectrum disorder is capable in law of contributing to a defence of ‘reasonable excuse’ under the Terrorism Act 2000.
R v Shuleko and others- murder
William Harbage QC and Samuel Skinner prosecuted the case of R v Shuleko, Smikle and Carmody, instructed by CPS East Midlands. The trial lasted five weeks. The defendants Shuleko and Smikle armed themselves with loaded handguns and shot the victim dead in the High Street in Upton, Northants. Their associate Carmody helped them escape and hide evidence. The three defendants were convicted by unanimous verdicts of the jury and the murderers each received life imprisonment with minimum terms of 32 years. Click Here
R v Kaminskas -murder
Mary Loram QC and Samuel Skinner, instructed by CPS East Midlands, prosecuted the murder trial of R v Kaminskas at Northampton Crown Court. The defendant beat his flat mate to death with a wooden table leg, and then left the body to decompose under a duvet inside the flat. After a two and a half week trial, he was convicted unanimously by a jury and received a life sentence with a minimum term of 19 years. Click Here
R v Romaine and Others – drugs conspiracy
R v Romaine and Others at St Albans CC was a case where the Crown alleged that five defendants were involved in a conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm with intent. After a nine week trial Derek Johashen and Samuel Skinner’s client was found not guilty of all charges. The case arose out of Bedfordshire Police’s operation Kruse into gang-related offending in Bedford: Click Here
R v Gary Gardner
Samuel prosecuted in R v Gary Gardner at Leicester, where the defendant was convicted of defrauding the son of the murdered soldier Lee Rigby. Click Here
R v James Adam
Murder. Led by Richard Pratt QC. Samuel defended a man accused of stabbing his victim to death on a bank holiday Monday in Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire.
Education and Qualifications
MA (Oxon), Jesus College, University of Oxford
Bar Vocational Course - Inns of Court School of Law
Graduate Diploma in Law- BPP Leeds