Overview
Dharmendra (Dee) is a leading criminal barrister who defends and prosecutes with an established practice in serious crime. He has significant experience as leading junior and led junior.
Dee has extensive experience in organised crime, financial crime, and POCA proceedings. He is a specialist in cybercrime. In addition, he is also a specialist in Consumer and Trading Standards law.
Dee is a Grade 4 prosecutor (highest grade) and is frequently instructed by the Complex Casework Units of the CPS across the UK, dealing with cases of the utmost seriousness.
He is recognised in the Legal 500 in Crime:
Dee is a cybercrime specialist, having extensive knowledge of all cyber-dependent offending (i.e. Computer Misuse Act 1990), such as hacking, ransomware/malware attacks affecting individuals or large corporations.
- In 2023 he was instructed by the CPS London Complex Casework Unit in Operation Ulex (also known as Lapsus$) involving a notorious hacking collective proven responsible for serious hacks on multi-billion-dollar companies such as Rockstar Games (Grand Theft Auto) Uber, Nvidia etc. The case involved close liaison with specialist officers from the FBI and the City of London Police.
- Furthermore, he has significant experience in cases of cyber-enabled offending, typically fraud and money laundering enabled through the Dark Web.
Dee is known for defending in business crime cases against companies and/or their directors. For example, he is currently instructed to defend a company director of a large money service business (MSB) in a multi-million-pound fraud.
Dee has developed a keen eye for detail and is often instructed on cases with complex issues of fact and law, with tens of thousands of served pages of evidence. He is experienced in the disclosure and deployment of internationally obtained material. Many of his cases involve an international dimension and cross-border issues.
Criminal Defence
Dee has a successful track record in defending serious and organised crime involving complex issues of fact and law with multi-defendants.
He is known for being a passionate and persuasive jury advocate.
He has extensive knowledge and experience of acting in cases of murder, human trafficking, drug dealing/trafficking and fraud/money laundering.
Recent Cases:
R v TG & Others (2023) – Kingston CC
Defendant acquitted of all counts on the indictment. Allegations of GBH (s.18) and Blackmail in a gang related feud.
R v AE & others (2022) – Harrow CC
Leading Junior (defending). AE (a female and second defendant) was unanimously acquitted of all counts in a multi-handed, two-month trial at Harrow CC. The case involved a complex and novel cutthroat defence in which it was suggested, inter alia, that the first defendant had raped AE in the context of a long-standing abusive relationship. The allegations (from all sides) involved substantial crystal meth dealing, modern slavery and controlling prostitution, with tens of thousands of pages of served evidence, including phone download material.
Op Widow (2022) – Southwark CC
Leading Junior (defending). Conspiracy to facilitate unlawful entry of non-EU nationals into the UK.
Op Flan (2019 -2022) - St Albans CC
Defending - Led Junior to a KC. Multi-million-pound money laundering case concerning the running of a money service business linked to multi-kilo drug operations. Defendant was acquitted of all charges following the Crown offering no evidence. The defence had sought to argue that the disclosure process was flawed, which may have led to a stay. There were over 100k pages of served evidence.
Op Serpent (2021) – Birmingham CC
Defending – junior alone. Dee represented AW; the only defendant acquitted out of 20 defendants in total. AW faced allegations of large multi-kilo Conspiracies to Supply Class A Drugs. The case, heard at Birmingham Crown Court, featured a voluminous amount of material (over 10k pages of served evidence). The trial also contained references to modern slavery offences for others.
Criminal Prosecutions - Private & Public
Dee is instructed in cases of the utmost seriousness including murder and, by way of example, is frequently instructed by the CPS Complex Casework Units across the UK, as both led junior and junior alone.
He is a Grade 4 Prosecutor on the CPS General Crime Panel and Grade 3 on the CPS Serious Crime Panel.
Dee is a specialist in cybercrime prosecutions, especially those involving hacking collectives, along with allegations of cyber enabled fraud.
Recent cases:
Op Kedgeree (ongoing) – Northampton CC
Leading Junior for the Crown instructed by East Midlands CCU. Conspiracies to steal and burgle, resulting in losses of £4million.
Op Spainato (2023) – St Albans CC
Led junior for the Crown. Successful prosecution of a son who murdered his father by torture. Complicated issues surrounding the loss of control.
Op Ulex (2023) – Southwark CC
Led Junior for the Crown instructed by London CCU. Successful prosecution of hackers from the notorious Lapsus$ international hacking collective over the course of a 7-week trial at Southwark Crown Court. The case was described in Court during the trial as ‘probably the most complex hacking case ever brought in the UK’.
Op Baritone (2021 - 2023) – Loughborough CC
Led Junior for the Crown to a KC. Instructed by West Midlands CCU. Successful prosecution of an OCG in an 8 handed Conspiracy to Murder involving a planned execution.
Asset Forfeiture, Confiscation & Civil Fraud
Dee has extensive knowledge of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. He is a specialist in cash forfeiture and account freezing applications/orders, including confiscation and restraint proceedings under Part II POCA 2002.
Business Crime & Financial Regulation
Dee specialises in Business Crime.
He has extensive knowledge and experience of acting in cases concerning allegations of large-scale fraud and money laundering.
He is routinely instructed to defend prosecutions brought by HMRC and The Insolvency Service. Additionally, he has significant experience of cases alleging offences contrary to the Companies Act 2006 and similar offences.
In addition, he is also a specialist in Consumer and Trading Standards law having appeared for both the prosecution and defence in a broad spectrum of regulatory offences against corporate bodies brought by Local Authorities. He is frequently instructed by local authorities in a range of complex matters including, most recently, several multi-handed animal welfare matters, one of which involved Judicial Review proceedings in the High Court.
Extradition & International
International / Multi-Jurisdictional Cases
Dee is instructed in criminal cases that are complex, detailed, and serious. Many of his cases involve an international dimension and cross-border/multi-jurisdictional issues.
Dee is experienced in the disclosure and deployment of internationally obtained material.
Additional Information
Professional Panel Appointments
- Grade 4 CPS Prosecutor
- Grade 4 on Serious Crime Panel
Languages
- Spanish
Seminars
Dee regularly gives talks and seminars to legal professionals on crypto assets within the context of cybercrime offending and has been involved in several crypto-related cases surrounding confiscation, account forfeiture and restraint proceedings.
Professional Memberships
- Criminal Bar Association (CBA).
- Fraud Lawyers Association (FLA).
Cases of Note
Cyber Crime
Op Ulex (2023) - Also known as Lapsus$ – Southwark CC
Led Junior for the Crown instructed by London CCU. Successful prosecution of hackers from the notorious Lapsus$ international hacking collective over the course of a 7-week trial at Southwark Crown Court. The case was described in Court during the trial as ‘probably the most complex hacking case ever brought in the UK’.
