James Thacker KC

James prosecutes and defends in serious and organised crime. He is regularly instructed in cases of factual and legal complexity often involving multiple defendants.

James is experienced in representing and prosecuting defendants in allegations of rape, child abuse and other serious sexual offences.

He has substantial experience dealing with expert evidence including telephone/cell site data, scientific and medical evidence. He is knowledgeable about the Encrochat platform and dealt with one of the first prosecutions in which it featured.

Prior to taking silk, James was a grade 4 prosecutor on the CPS General Panel and CPS Serious Crime Panel.

Notable Crime cases

• R v S, Central Criminal Court, 2024
  

  Leading Claire Harden-Frost in prosecution of one of the youngest defendants to appear in the Crown Court in what was a sensitive and complex case. A girl, aged 12 years old at the time of offending, was prosecuted for the attempted murder of her mother and attempting to cause grievous bodily harm and threatening to kill her care workers whilst remanded into the care of the local authority.

• • R v JH and CH, Court of Appeal Criminal Division [2024] EWCA Crim 1315, Dame Victoria Sharp P., Saini J., Foxton J.
  

  Leading Emilie Morrison in appeal against conviction in large scale EncroChat drug conspiracies where the issue was whether the trial judge was correct to proceed to trial, upon application by the prosecution, in the appellants absence and without representation when there was a moot point whether counsel (silk and juniors) and solicitors were sacked or whether they withdrew following criticism. The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeals finding that the trial judge had been entitled to proceed as the appellants had deliberately and voluntarily waived their right to appear in a calculated action designed to try to frustrate the proceedings or cause an adjournment. Further grounds of appeal that the trial was unfair were found to be unarguable.

• Operation Goldafar, Central Criminal Court, 2024
  

  Leading Emilie Morrison in prosecution of multiple defendants for attempted murder, firearm offences and conspiracy to steal drugs.

• Operation Hankcom, Harrow Crown Court, 2023-24
  

  Prosecuted two defendants in conspiracy to murder. Revenge attack where attempt made to execute victim in daylight by shooting him while sat in stationary vehicle. Both defendants convicted sentenced to life imprisonment.

• Operation Mudden, Kingston Upon Thames Crown Court, 2020-23
  

  Leading Thom Dyke/Amelia Katz in prosecution of 4 defendants (including a youth) who were members of an Organised Criminal Group for conspiring to supply 70kg+ of cocaine through EncroChat, conspiring to laundering £2.3m+ and conspiring to cause grievous bodily harm.

• Operation Estadio, Woolwich Crown Court, 2020-22
  

  Leading Emilie Morrison in prosecution of 5 defendants for the purchase and distribution of 89kg+ of cocaine and the laundering of at least £3.5m+ following the successful infiltration of EncroChat. Members of this professional and sophisticated Organised Criminal Network were sentenced to substantial terms with the two principal defendants each receiving 25 years’ imprisonment.

• Operation Acceptilate, Kingston Upon Thames CC, 2021-22
  

  Leading Laura Hibberd in prosecution of Organised Criminal Group in EncroChat ‘Venetic’ case that involved principal defendants dealing in 100+ kilos of cocaine.

• Operation Enlist, Southwark CC, 2021
  

  Leading Laura Hibberd in prosecution of Organised Criminal Group for multiple conspiracies to supply class A and B drugs. Principal defendant used EncroChat and dealt in multi-kilo quantities of cocaine.

• Operation Scenario, Southwark CC, 2021
  

  Successfully prosecuted Organised Criminal Group in EncroChat ‘Venetic’ case.

• R v JA, Central Criminal Court, 2021
  

  Successfully prosecuted defendant for an attempted so-called honour killing.

• R v PJ, Maidstone CC, 2020
  

  Defended in allegation of causing death of a motorcyclist by careless driving. Successfully argued that charge should be dismissed.

• Operation Edge, Woolwich CC, 2020
  

  Leading Jennifer Newcomb and Kyah Mufti in substantial conspiracy to supply class A and B drugs by an Organised Criminal Group. All defendants convicted and sentenced to substantial terms of imprisonment.

• R v WT, Croydon CC, 2020, Court of Appeal Criminal Division [2021]
  

  Led by Tom Little KC, Senior Treasury Counsel. Successfully prosecuted serial rapist sentenced to life imprisonment. Leave to appeal against conviction and sentence refused. Appeal against sentence renewed on basis of how minimum term calculated. Court of Appeal held that two thirds of the notional determinate sentence was correct. Appeal dismissed.

• Operation Labootan, Kingston CC, (2018-2020), Court of Appeal Criminal Division [2021] EWCA Crim 1925
  

  First junior to Christopher Donnellan KC in substantial (1 tonne plus) conspiracy to supply high purity cocaine (£32m wholesale) that spanned December 2016 to January 2018. Court of Appeal examined the law of conspiracy and interplay with co-conspirators’ convictions under s.74 PACE 1984. Appeals dismissed. Sentence of 27 years’ imprisonment for leading defendant upheld.

• R v HP, KM and AS, Harrow CC, 2019
  

  Leading Jennifer Oborne in premediated and sustained assault to abort the foetus of a pregnant teenager. Complicated issues relating to the Modern Slavery Act arose. All defendants successfully prosecuted.

• R v SG, Central Criminal Court, 2019
  

  Successfully defended HGV driver accused of causing a death by careless driving. Proceedings stayed as an abuse of process following legal argument and after s8 disclosure requests unearthed police corruption during the investigation that tainted evidence from various eye witnesses and caused exhibits not to be retained.

• R v AA, Snaresbrook CC, 2018
  

  Successfully prosecuted Scoutmaster who groomed and sexually abused at least 7 young cubs and scouts, aged between 9 and 13 years.

• R v GS, Woolwich CC, 2017
  

  Successfully prosecuted non-recent inter-familial rape and child abuse (sexual, physical and psychological) case which spanned 4 decades and involved multiple complainants.

• R v PO, Isleworth CC, 2017
  

  Successfully prosecuted the defendant dubbed ‘Ripper of Ravenscourt’ who attacked eight women including one schoolgirl over the course of three days around the Ravenscourt Park area of London.