Bernard Tetlow

Year of Call: 1984 BA LLM
Affiliations: Criminal Bar Association
Specialist Areas: General Crime, Serious Crime, Homicide, Serious Violent Offences, Firearms, Large Drugs Related Offences, Terrorism, Confiscation, Restraint & Asset Recovery Proceedings, Serious Fraud & White Collar Crime, MTIC Fraud , Commercial Crime, Money Laundering, DTI Offences, Regulatory & Compliance Work, Health & Safety, Miscarriages of Justice, Public Enquiries, Appellate Work

Practice Profile Cases

Bernard has extensive experience and expertise as a leading junior in all types of serious and complex crime.

His practice includes murder and other violent offences, fraud including diversion, carousel and commercial, asset confiscation , major drug trafficking, people trafficking and other serious crime.

Solicitors have described him as a “hugely impressive advocate” and an “excellent tactician and team leader”

He has particular expertise in all aspects of fraud and has appeared in some of the largest and longest running carousel and excise duty frauds.

Bernard is also an advocacy trainer and has taught on the Advanced Advocacy course at Keble, at the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague and in Tanzania.



 

MURDER AND OTHER VIOLENT OFFENCES
R v HUGHES and others (2006) Leading counsel in gang related conspiracy to murder involving use of a Mach 10 sub-machine gun. The nine defendant trial lasted 5 months and generated national press publicity.
Rv BRADLEY (2005) A drug related contract killing involving complex cell site and DNA evidence
R v OSAGIE (2008) 16 year old charged with attempted murder/S.18 arising out of gang related violence and stabbing. Lengthy multi-handed trial at the Old Bailey.
R v SHARPE. (2005) Leading counsel for 16 year old charged with attempted murder.
R v HADFIELD (2008) Armed robbery of a securicor van .
R v FORD (2004) Double attempted murder by shooting arising out of drug dealing.
R v BAGGA (2004) Leading counsel for main defendant in drug related conspiracy to murder/ GBH and Kidnap at the Old Bailey. 

FRAUD
R v LEAHY (2002) Leading counsel for the main defendant in this £50,000,000 diversion fraud centred on London City Bond which resulted in an 8 month trial. The conviction was overturned on appeal when it was discovered that Customs were operating LCB as an undisclosed ‘honey trap’.
R v HENING (2006) Leading counsel for the mastermind of a £54,000,000 mobile phone VAT carousel fraud. The trial lasted 2 months.
R v IQBAL (2008) Leading counsel for first defendant in a 3 month trial involving fraud on a Government department (Dfes) arising out of the tax payer funded ILA scheme. The case generated national press publicity and questions about the ILA scheme in parliament. Two month trial.
R v TURNER (2007) Leading counsel for first defendant in this lengthy multi million pound excise duty fraud. Six week trial.
R v LIIV (2006) Counsel for defendant in large scale internet banking (phishing) fraud.
R v BOTT (2009) Represented a property developer in Multi million pound mortgage fraud by property developers, mortgage brokers and valuers
R v RANKINE (2005) Large drug related money laundering case which involved taking legal point on interpretation of Criminal Justice Act. We successfully argued the point all the way to the House of Lords.
R v BOPARAI (2005) Conspiracy to defraud using insider information from bank employees and the kidnapping of a solicitor to carry out the fraud. Two month trial.

DRUG and PEOPLE TRAFFICKING
R v NIAZI (2009) Leading counsel in major people trafficking case involving large scale importing of young men from Afghanistan with connections to the Taleban. Two month trial.
R v WILSON (2008) multi handed Class A drug trafficking case involving large scale covert police operation. 7 week trial.
R v WILLIAMS. (2004) Drug trafficking of 50 kilos of cocaine robbed at gunpoint by one gang of drug dealers from another. Two month trial at the Old Bailey.
R v ERDOGAN (2008) Class A importations from Turkey by a gang already serving sentences for drug trafficking.
R v KWAEKBENJARKARN (2008) Multi handed trafficking of prostitutes from Thailand.

HOUSE OF LORDS/COURT OF APPEAL
R V MONTILA and others (2005) (HOUSE OF LORDS) Argued point on interpretation of proceeds of crime provisions at preparatory hearing which we won (Rankine and others). House of Lords upheld the original ruling.
R v LITTLE (2005) (COURT OF APPEAL) Conviction appeal in major drug trafficking case where I successfully argued that the conviction should be quashed because of non-disclosure notwithstanding a guilty plea at trial.
R v SLINEY (2004) (COURT OF APPEAL) Reverse burdens in trademark case.
R v FORD (2004) (COURT OF APPEAL) New tariff set for sentencing in cases of attempted murder using a handgun.
R v LEAHY (2003) (COURT OF APPEAL) Successful conviction appeal in diversion