Dominic Bell
e: Dominic.Bell@CharterChambers.com
Year of Call: 1992 Inner Temple
Affiliations: Criminal Bar Association, South Eastern Circuit
Specialist Areas: General Crime, Serious Crime, Homicide, Serious Violent Offences, Firearms, Large Drugs Related Offences, Terrorism, Sexual Offences, Confiscation, Restraint & Asset Recovery Proceedings, Serious Fraud & White Collar Crime, MTIC Fraud , Commercial Crime, Money Laundering, DTI Offences, Miscarriages of Justice, VAT & Tax Tribunals
Biography
Practice Profile
Cases
BiographyDominic Bell has practised exclusively in criminal litigation for the last 16 years. He appears exclusively for the defence.
His practice is that of serious crime and he now invariably leads. However if a case merits Queen’s Counsel he likes to have some input into selecting the leader using his extensive experience in choosing the right silk for the case.
His practice regularly takes him abroad in the preparation stage and he has, in the last 2 years travelled to Colombia, Barbados, St Lucia, India and the United Arab Emirates.
Dominic has a real passion for fairness and has a reputation for being a fighter who is not afraid to pursue his client’s case utterly fearlessly, both in and out of Court. He has a particular interest in prosecution disclosure, or the lack of it, always being determined to ensure that prosecutors properly comply with their duty.
Practice ProfileHe has particular experience in prosecutions and restraint proceedings brought by HM Customs and Excise ( now HM Revenue and Customs ).
His real skill is in understanding complex factual issues and identifying what the important issues are in a case thus identifying the battle ground for the trial.
He has latterly appeared for the defence in Operation Vivace ( the 21st of July bombings ) and Operation Overamp ( alleged weapons training ) where he was leading Counsel.
He has lectured solicitors on the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
CasesRecent cases include:
Murder
R v Williams, Liverpool Crown Court, led junior.
Murder, Conspiracy to Murder, Conspiracy to supply class A drugs, Conspiracy to possess firearms with intent to endanger life. For one of 10 defendans in the Manchester ‘Gooch’ gangland trial.
R v Soto-Mendoza Central Criminal Court.
Murder. Representing the Military Attache at the Colombian Embassy. Issues of Diplomatic Immunity.
R v Justin Central Criminal Court,led junior.
Murder, radicalised schoolboy who killed randomly at a bus stop led junior. Diagnosis of PTSD, following investigation as to defendant’s upbringing in St Lucia.
R v Bains Central Criminal Court, led junior.
Murder 5 defendants. Dumped body on the common, cut-throat defence.
R v Clarke Central Criminal Court,led junior.
Murder, attempted murder 6 defendants, cut-throat defence.
R v Samuels Central Criminal Court, led junior.
Murder of defendant’s sister. Defendant relocated to the UK from Montserrat following the volcano eruption on the island.
Drugs
R v Phillips Winchester Crown Court.
Conspiracy to supply cocaine.
R v Morales Bristol Crown Court, leading junior.
Conspiracy to supply cocaine. Defendant suffered from frequent epilectic seizures, fitness to be tried issues, abuse of process.
R v Quinn Sheffield Crown Court, leading junior.
Conspiracies to supply cocaine, ecstasy, and cannabis.
R v Puentas Blackfriars Crown Court.
Conspiracy to import cocaine from Costa Rica.
R v McQueenie Kingston Crown Court, leading junior.
Conspiracy to import cocaine from the Caribbean and manufacture crack cocaine ( largest ever seizure of crack ).
R v Scott Kingston Crown Court, leading junior.
Conspiracy to import cocaine, conspiracy to launder the proceeds of crime. Cut-throat defence.
R v Telez-Torres Blackfriars Crown Court.
Conspiracy to supply cocaine in Colombian nightclub.
R v Orton Derby Crown Court.
Conspiracy to supply cocaine.
R v Moss Leicester Crown Court.
Conspiracy to supply cocaine.
Terrorism
R v Al-Figari Woolwich Crown Court, leading junior.
Attending terrorist training camps – Operation Overamp- trial of a radical preacher who organised terrorist training camps in the New Forest and Cumbria
R v Wahbi Mohammed Kingston Crown Court, led junior.
Part 2 of Operation Vivace, the 21/7 tube bombings.
MTIC Fraud/ Money laundering
R v X
Restraint proceedings – Assets in the UK and Dubai, substantial resistance to the Court Appointed Receiver’s ‘liquidation’ of assets.
R v Y
VAT tribunal – For the claimant, withheld payment in an alleged carousel fraud.
R v Z
VAT tribunal – For the claimant, withheld payment in an alleged carousel fraud.
R v Martinez-Diaz Southwark Crown Court, leading junior.
Conspiracy to convert the proceeds of crime.
Rape
R v Lax