Jerome Lynch QC

Year of Call: 1983 BA (Hons)
Year of Silk: 2000
Languages: German
Affiliations: Criminal Bar Association
Specialist Areas: General Crime, Serious Crime, Terrorism, Serious Fraud & White Collar Crime

Biography Cases Publications

Head of Chambers.

Bencher of Lincoln's Inn

A criminal defence specialist practising predominantly in the areas of fraud, corruption, diversion frauds, duty draw-back, parallel trading and other white collar offences. He has also undertaken serious drug cases and murder.

Outside of crime he has also successfully contested several major planning appeals (including an airport and an excavation site).

Teaches advocacy to young members of the Bar on behalf of Lincoln’s Inn. See under "Publications" for details of extensive television work.

Murder of Kodjo Yenga:
Together with Paul Phillips of chambers he represented the sixth defendant to be charged with this murder of a 16 year old boy in broad daylight – following an eight week trial the client was the only one to be acquitted of all charges. The case attracted considerable publicity as it was a broad daylight killing of a 16 year old by a gang know as MDP (Murder dem Pussies) aged 13 to 16.

Royal Blackmail:
Represented Ian Strachan who was charged with the blackmail of a member of the Royal Family who was known throughout the trial as Witness A (and no he can’t tell you who he was!). He had recorded on his mobile telephone material both video and audio of an employee (witness D) making allegations of a sexual act (“blowjob”) between A and D, that A’s business was deceiving customers as to the origin of the goods and that A had taken cocaine. The legitimate selling such material to the media has blurred the line of criminality where the subject of the material can himself become involved in the purchase of it for money in order that it is not printed. The case revolved around the question of when a demand is a demand within the meaning of the act: the line is not immediately clear. This was a difficult case investigated by the anti-terrorist squad (Why?).

Gangland Killing:
Represented Dean Smith at trial 2 years ago and again at the Court of Appeal (Alan MosesLJ, Oppenshaw J and Roberts HHJ) sitting at Woolwich for 4 days. The case revolved around the notorious gang known as the Johnson Crew membership of which was denied by the client notwithstanding the fact that he had it tattooed on his chest!). They were convicted of murder and three attempted murders of bouncers at a nightclub in Birmingham. The appeal involved issues of joint enterprise, propensity evidence (ie membership of the JC), directions on the route(s) to conviction and identification by police officers viewing CCTV video footage. On appeal against sentence the age of the defendant was specifically not allowed for resulting in a sentence of 30 years for a 19 year old. Judgement has been reserved.

Armed Robbery and Murder:
Represented the shooter in the Bromsgrove area of Birmingham who shot Craig Hodson-Walker whilst seeking to defend his home, business and family from armed robbers at the sub-post office early one morning.   This was a notorious case at the time and one in which the local and some national papers called for the re-introduction of the death penalty.  The case was complicted and relied heavily on new scientific methods as well as some old ones.  The usual triangulation and call records of the accussed's mobile telephones but importantly here also what has become known as "chip-off" which is a method by which a phone apparently destroyed by fire can be re-created giving the data stored within its chip; the analysis of gait - that's right not "gate" but "gait" a new pseudo-science that needs very careful monitoring; body-mapping more pseudo-science with equally dangerous conclusions that appear to vary depending on which side instructs! 

Fraud:
Confidential advice in two cases which have resulted (so far) in no charges being brought.   Watch this space!

QPR Shooting:
This incident had nothing to do with the football club but just yards away from their ground Craig Brown was shot dead.   There was some history of local rivalry between drug dealers and operating on one anothers "turf".  Craig Brown was from South London and was courting a local girl.   Lynch represented the third defendant in a three way "cut-throat" case.  The case raised interesting legal questions about disclosure, annonimity and the admissibility of evidence in the prosecutions hands from a cell-mate of a co-defendant (with whom there was a conflict) who had confessed that he had shot the victim and that Lynch's client was innocent.  The matter will not go to the Court of Appeal because Lynch's client was acquitted.

Honey-trap Murder:
Represented the erstwhile lover (DM) of the 16 year old girl who was said to have lured her new lover into a cul-de-sac to be murdered.  This was a seven handed case in which the central allegation was the stabbing to death of Shakilus Townsend by DM in broad day-light and supported by five other boys.  Both the Crown and the defence relied on material gathered from the Bebo web-site to which many youngsters subscribe.   The case attracted considerable publicity because of the particularly callous nature of the entrapment and the tender age of those perpetrating it.
Murder in Bermuda:
 
Called to the Bermudan Bar in order to represent the third defendant in the first four handed murder on the Islands.  Another gang killing down a dark lane near the beach.  Defendant acquitted by direction of the judge at the conclusion of the prosecution case.  Tough assignment this one!!
 
Gang-Killing in Bradford:
 
Assisted by Rag Chand of chambers he represented the only defendant to be acquitted by the jury of a gang killing of Asians youths.   The allegation involved an afro-Caribbean gang and an Asian gang seeking revenge for an earlier incident.

Other notable cases include:

R v Lim (Grobbelaar - match fixing trial) R v Aspin (Arms to Iran)
R v Geoff Knights (Gillian Taylforth's partner) Football Association v Segers (alleged "bung") Football Association v Burtenshaw (alleged "bung" with George Graham)
The "Arms to Liverpool" case A "Super-grass" killing (professional assassination)
El Faisal, the Moslem imam accused of incitement to murder.

More recently he has been engaged to represent alleged gang-land killers in Ireland and Brian Brendon Wright the alleged race fixer and cocaine importer.

He has also undertaken Death Row cases from Jamaica pro bono.

He has made two series of "Nothing But the Truth" for Channel 4 in 1998 and 1999. They were studio based shows modelled on a court-room with judges (Paul Boateng MP and Ann Widdecombe MP), a jury made up from a cross section of members of the public and advocates arguing a moral rather than legal question.

He has made two series of "Crime Team" for Channel 4 in 2001 and 2002. Two celebrities were given the task of investigating murders which had taken place in the past in the UK. Filmed on location they had just three days to solve the crime using only the material the police had at the time. Jerome's job was to host the programme, narrate, question and cajole their findings and ultimately ensure they found the killer.

His most recent series was for ITV1 as co-host in the series “The People’s Court” where he was the judge in a daily part live show dealing with legal disputes brought by the various protagonists varying from boundary disputes and poor workmanship to indebtedness and work issues. In addition he has contributed to various chat shows as a guest speaker, given interviews on news programmes and cameo roles as an expert on crime in other television documentaries and crime-related shows.

More recently he had to abort a documentary on Van Hoogstraaten in Zimbabwe after being placed under house arrest in Harare.