Eleanor Mawrey successfully prosecuted Okwudili Chinze and Ahmed Otun for their role in a conspiracy to commit frauds targeted at small firms and charities. The frauds were committed by the sending of cloned emails purporting to be from a person in a position of trust asking for money to be transferred. The recipients believing the email to be genuine transferred money, often large sums, into bank accounts controlled by the defendants, who were also convicted of entering into a money laundering arrangement. The pair were sentenced at Kingston Crown Court last week; Ahmed Otun was jailed for 4 years, and Okwudili Chinze for 2 years 8 months. They were also disqualified from acting as a director of a company for 10 years. HHJ Coello when sentencing called the defendants “dishonest rogues, motivated by sheer greed” and reflected on the “dreadful impact” on the victims.
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Eleanor was instructed by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
Chambers congratulates Adam Dawson upon being awarded an MBE for services to charity and service to the Jewish Community. For over 30 years Adam has been involved in the heart of the Jewish community, leading several charities and organisations. After a year as Chair of…
This week Russell Wilcox and Thomas Clarke examine whether in applications to set aside default judgment there exists such a thing as a ‘co-defendant principle’; essential reading for all practitioners. Co-defendants and Applications to Set Aside: the More the Merrier? In the recent case of…
Introduction On Wednesday 21st of May, the Supreme Court handed down judgment in the long-awaited case of URS Corporation Ltd v BDW Trading Ltd [2025] UKSC 21. The judgment was awaited by almost all with an interest in construction law and related professional negligence. BDW…
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