Overview
Jose has been ranked in the Legal 500 since 2016 and is ranked as a Tier 2 leading barrister in crime at the London Bar. Jose is also ranked in Chambers and Partners as a Band 4 leading individual in crime at the London Bar.
He defends and prosecutes in criminal cases involving the most serious allegations including offences of violence, sexual offences (including rapes and sex trafficking), firearms offences, drugs offences, fraud and confiscation proceedings.
Jose is Duty accredited and a Grade 3 prosecutor on the Advocate Rape Panel. He is an expert trial advocate who goes the extra mile for his clients. He is particularly well regarded by both defence firms and the CPS for his representation in serious and high-profile sexual offence trials.
Additional information
Professional Panel Appoinments:
- Grade 3 CPS prosecutor.
- Appointed to the CPS specialist Rape Panel of advocates.
- Duty accredited barrister.
Articles, Lectures and Media work:
- Advisor to Dragonfly TV productions (‘One born every minute’, ‘The Job Centre’, ‘The Hotel’) on a documentary series about members of the public sitting on a mock murder trial.
- Advisor to CBBC on the second series of ‘All Over the Workplace’ (which takes children aged 8-13 from around the UK and gives them the opportunity to try out their dream jobs) in relation to criminal courts.
- 3 articles for Lexis Nexis on R v Twist (Hearsay), R v Guthrie (jury tampering) and the CPR 2011.
- Main speaker at the Legal Aid Conference 2006 at the Law Society on Evidence of Bad Character and Hearsay.
Asset Forfeiture, Confiscation & Civil Fraud
Jose accepts instructions in relation to Proceeds of Crime (POCA) work, which often follow in his financial crime cases.
Business Crime & Financial Regulation
Jose is instructed in numerous financial crime cases, including large-scale frauds for the prosecution and defence. See his cases of note section for more details.
Criminal Defence
Jose is instructed in the most serious of criminal cases and is recognised as a leading individual at the Criminal Bar (London) by Chambers and Partners and the Legal 500.
"My firm regularly instructs Jose on all types of serious cases. The quality of his work is exceptional. Jose responds very promptly to the emails that I send him. In fact, I have not seen anybody respond so quickly! He is the hardest working barrister I have had the pleasure to work with. The quality of his work is without question. All the feedback I have received regarding Jose has been nothing but positive. I would highly recommend him to anybody seeking a barrister to instruct as regards a criminal matter."
Sheraz Chowdhry, Asghar & Co Solicitors, Partner & Crime Supervisor.
Criminal Prosecutions - Private & Public
Jose is a Grade 3 prosecutor and is on the specialist Rape panel of advocates for the CPS. He is instructed in the most serious of criminal cases.
Professional Memberships
- Criminal Bar Association.
Cases of Note
Criminal Defence:
R v S (2023) Luton Crown Court
Defended an Italian national accused of murdering a drug dealer who was in the process of attacking the mother of the defendant’s disabled son with a knife in their back garden.
R v G (2022) Isleworth Crown Court
Represented a vulnerable young woman who was accused of attempting to murder a love rival. CCTV footage captured the defendant driving her car directly into the heavily-pregnant victim. Jose successfully persuaded the Crown to accept guilty pleas to lesser offences instead of attempted murder, notwithstanding that the defendant had texted the victim shortly before the incident, threatening to run her over and saying that her unborn baby should die.
R v N (2014) Central Criminal Court
Represented a defendant who was accused of trying to pay a hitman to kill his estranged wife who was acquitted on both counts.
People-Trafficking:
R v S & another (2018) Southwark Crown Court
Represented one of the Defendants alleged to have trafficked a Rwandan National to Belgium via the United Kingdom. There was a large amount of material relied upon by the Crown relating to financial and telephone evidence. Jose made a number of applications for disclosure under s8 Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996 relating to electronic evidence and intelligence concerning a number of individuals, including the complainant. On the first day of trial, the Crown conceded the legal argument and offered no evidence. Formal verdicts of not guilty were returned in relation to the Defendant.
R v A (2016) Isleworth Crown Court
Leading junior who represented a defendant in a 5-week trial who was accused of trafficking 40 Nigerian girls for prostitution who were put through black magic “Juju” rituals before being brought into the UK.
Prison mutiny:
R v M & others (2019) Birmingham Crown Court
Represented a defendant jointly charged with 12 other inmates in a high profile prison mutiny trial.
Court of Appeal:
R v Egeresi and Olah [2019] EWCA Crim 675
Modern Slavery case and successful appeal provides sentencing guidance in reported case: Joe represented both appellants in the Court of Appeal who had been convicted of a number of Modern Slavery offences. The appellants had trafficked numerous non-English speaking Hungarian males into this country and then forced them into labour, taking almost all of their earnings and threatening them violence if they did not comply. Jose successfully appealed sentence, securing significant reductions in their terms of imprisonment. This judgment is a now reported authority as follows: R v Egeresi and Olah [2019] EWCA Crim 675.
Modern Slavery:
R v O & another (2017-18) Kingston Crown Court
Represented a defendant in a multi-count, multi-handed Modern Slavery Act trial where it was alleged that the defendants trafficked Romanian males into the UK in order to force them into slavery. links to press coverage: [copy and paste to your browser to see press coverage] www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5576669/Slave-drivers-trafficked-victims-UK-Hungary-earnings-jailed.html
Sex Trafficking:
R v A (2016) Isleworth Crown Court
Leading junior who represented a defendant in a 5-week trial who was accused of trafficking 40 Nigerian girls for prostitution who were put through black magic “Juju” rituals before being brought into the UK. links to press coverage: [copy and paste to your browser to see articles] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3722019/Female-people-smuggler-known-Auntie-Franca-used-threat-witchcraft-force-dozens-teenage-orphans-prostitution-slavery.html http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/woman-used-witchcraft-violence-traffick-8554503 https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/1548135/female-people-smuggler-who-used-threat-of-witchcraft-to-force-kids-into-sex-trade-to-bo-caged/
R v E & another (2015) Harrow Crown Court
Represented one of the defendants in 4 week multi-defendant trial involving an allegation of trafficking 3 Nigerian girls for prostitution who were put through black magic “Juju” rituals before being brought into the UK: Acquitted on all 17 counts.
Sexual child abuse and other serious sexual offences:
R v S (2023) Reading Crown Court
Instructed on a privately-funded basis to represent a defendant accused of 9 counts of indecent assault and attempted beggary on a male child dating back to the 1980s.
R v T (2023) Canterbury Crown Court
Instructed on a privately-funded basis to represent a defendant accused of 19 counts of indecency with a child dating back to the 1970s and 1980s.
R v S (2020) Guildford Crown Court
Instructed on a privately-funded basis to represent a defendant accused of making indecent images of children over the course of 4 years. During the course of the proceedings, he was also accused of manipulating metadata in photographs and data in apps to show that he was away from his laptop at the material times. Jose cross-examined 3 prosecution experts, including a digital forensic analyst, during the trial and, notwithstanding the lack of evidence supporting the defence of a remote hacker, those experts conceded that an undetected remote access tool may have existed on the defendant’s laptop.
R v B (2018) Woolwich Crown Court
Represented a defendant accused of serious sexual offences relating to his then wife on 2 dates. During the trial, the Crown offered no evidence on the count which related to the earlier date. Jose subsequently made a successful application to stay proceedings as an abuse of process on the ground that the defendant could not have a fair trial as if the complainant was cross-examined on inconsistencies in relation to the earlier incident, the jury would hear about an allegation which was strikingly similar to the remaining counts. This was a novel argument for which there is no case law. Jose arguably created a new ground for a stay in proceedings owing to an abuse of process.
R v H & others (2017) Harrow Crown Court
Defended in a 3-handed, multi-count historical sexual child abuse trial where the defendant was accused of raping a 12-year-old: Found guilty on just one of the counts
R v H (2017) Wood Green Crown Court
Defended in a trial where the defendant was the face of the “Dreamboys” and was accused of digitally penetrating 2 female complainants during private dances: Acquitted on all counts. Links to press coverage: [copy and paste to your browser to see articles] https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3757696/dreamboys-dancer-groped-a-bride-to-be-and-molested-her-pal-during-strip-club-hen-do/ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4587852/Dreamboys-dancer-groped-bride-friend.html http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/dreamboys-dancer-accused-groping-women-10610630
R v K & another (2016) Woolwich Crown Court
Defended in a multi-handed, multi-count trial representing a youth who was accused of being involved in the gang-rape of a fellow 16 year old: acquitted.
R v G (2016) Colchester Military Court
Defended a Gurkha in a court-martial trial where he was accused of raping a female officer: acquitted.
R v A (2016) Isleworth Crown Court
Represented the defendant on a 10-count indictment alleging stranger rape where he subjected the complainant 2-hour ordeal in a park. link to press coverage: [copy and paste to your browser to see articles] http://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/guilty-depraved-man-faces-jail-after-twohour-sex-attack-in-west-london-park-a3339496.html
R v S (2016) Snaresbrook Crown Court
Defended in a historical sexual abuse trial where the defendant was accused of molesting his younger female cousin when they were both children: acquitted at retrial.
Money laundering:
R v B & others (2019) Snaresbrook Crown Court
Represented a defendant charged with 4 others who was accused of possessing the proceeds of Class A drug sales during a multi-handed 4 week trial. The defendant had pleaded guilty to being involved in a wide-ranging conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and another offence of drug-related Money Laundering prior to the trial. Even though the jury were aware of the defendant's guilty pleas to those two offences, Jose was able to persuade the jury to acquit the defendant on the remaining count of Money Laundering, notwithstanding the proximity of the alleged proceeds of drug sales in time and place to the drug conspiracy.
Murder & associated offences:
R v N (2014) Central Criminal Court
Represented a defendant who was accused of trying to pay a hitman to kill his estranged wife who was acquitted on both counts.
Prosecution:
Child Sex offences:
R v E (2023) Canterbury Crown Court
Prosecuted a trial where the defendant was accused of indecency with a child and indecent assaults on child dating back to the 1990s. Jose successfully applied for the defendant’s sole conviction for indecently assaulting a child around the same time as alleged in the trial to be adduced as bad character evidence. The defendant was found guilty of indecency with a child.
R v G (2022) Southwark Crown Court
Instructed to prosecute in a s28 pre-recorded cross-examination case where the defendant was accused of sexually abusing his 8-year-old son. The defence withdrew their legal argument to exclude text messages between the victim and his mother after Jose provided a written skeleton argument supported by caselaw. Notwithstanding the mother of the victim’s axe to grind against the defendant and the lack of corroborative evidence, the jury returned a unanimous verdict of guilty.
R v J (2022) Canterbury Crown Court
Prosecuted a trial involving an 18-count indictment alleging serious sexual offences committed against a complainant whilst they were a child and subsequently when an adult. Witnesses gave their evidence through an array of Special Measures, including the playing of an ABE videoed interview as examination-in-chief of the complainant, screens and a live link.
R v E (2021) Inner London Crown Court
Instructed to prosecute the trial of a defendant accused of sexually abusing his niece over several months. 2 young prosecution witnesses gave evidence at trial by live link. The defendant had mental health issues and the trial was adjusted in order to bear in mind his vulnerabilities. As a result, Jose’s cross-examination was finely worded so as to ensure that the defendant could understand the questions. Notwithstanding that the defendant was acquitted, Jose successfully argued on the balance of probabilities that the defendant was guilty of the alleged offences, resulting in the imposition of a Restraining Order.
R v R (2021) Inner London Crown Court
Prosecuted a defendant accused of arranging the commission of child sex offences and other sexual offences. Jose successfully applied for a witness anonymity order in respect of the UCO under s88 CAJA 2009 and for rebuttal evidence to be adduced. The defendant was convicted on all 6 counts.
R v C & W (2018) Southwark Crown Court
Instructed at short notice to prosecute a mother and step-father who sexually abused their 2 children in the late 1980s over a significant period of time. Jose was successful in opposing applications to adduce the sexual history and bad character of the complainants and won all legal argument made during the trial. There were numerous social services records (all reduced to agreed facts) which contradicted the complainants’ accounts. Moreover, one complainant suggested that the other sexually abused her. Notwithstanding these difficulties, Jose secured convictions for both Defendants. Convictions were upheld by the Court of Appeal.
R v P (2018) Wood Green Crown Court
Prosecuted a retrial concerning multiple counts of making and distributing indecent images of children where the jury in the first trial was hung. The defendant was an IT specialist and so Jose examined-in-chief the Crown expert expert extensively to rebut all aspects of the various technical defences. Jose also cross-examined the Defendant at length on complex specialist IT subjects whilst ensuring that the prosecution case was simplified for the jury so that anyone without any specialist IT knowledge would be able to understand the evidence. The Defendant was convicted on all counts.
R v L (2015) The Old Bailey
Prosecuted a high-profile trial which attracted widespread press attention where a 46-year-old woman was alleged to have groomed and had sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old boy in foster care. links to some of the press coverage: [copy and paste to your browser to see articles] http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/6797079/Woman-46-had-sex-with-boy-14-because-she-thought-he-was-17-court-hears.html
