James Thacker

• LLB (Hons), Birmingham University

• Fraud Lawyers Association
• Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers
• Criminal Bar Association
• South Eastern Circuit

• Recorder of the Crown Court
• Level 4 CPS General panel
• Level 4 CPS Serious Crime Group panel
• Level 4 CPS Fraud panel
• CPS Rape panel
• Level A SFO prosecution panel
• Level B Regulatory panel
• Pupil supervisor
• Central London Bar Mess junior
• Committee member of South Eastern Circuit
• Recorder of Seniors in Hall at Gray’s Inn

2

Fraud

• R v SF, RT and AW, Canterbury Crown Court, 2020: Leading William Dean in £2.7m Government grant aid fraud under the Countryside Productivity Scheme administered by the Rural Payments Agency at DEFRA. The case involved what is understood to be the first conviction under regulation 16 of the Common Agricultural Policy (Control and Enforcement, Cross-Compliance, Scrutiny of Transactions and Appeals) Regulations 2014.
• Operation Veil nos.1 and 3. R v MF, AJ, DI and HC, CW, Snaresbrook Crown Court, 2018: Leading Jennifer Newcomb on behalf of HMRC in combined £2.3m fraudulent evasion of duty.
• Operations Amaryllis and Ensete v VS, US, AS, VS & SG, Wood Green Crown Court, 2018: Leading Thom Dyke in £7 ½ million multiple global banking conspiracies.
• R v AA, CR and SJC, Wood Green Crown Court, 2017: Insider fraud at Barclays Bank plc.
• Operation Dinghy, no. 2 v RF, TH, MD, KR & SJ, Southwark Crown Court, 2017: Leading Dominic Hockley in Wine Investment Fraud.
• Operation Radome v AT & 6 Others, Maidstone Crown Court, 2017: Leading Frederick Hookway in fraudulent evasion of duty by smuggling tobacco.
• R v MC, Snaresbrook Crown Court, 2016: Prosecuted lawyer with law firms in UK, Portugal and Brazil for fraud.
• R v SK, Woolwich Crown Court, 2016: Multi-million Education Trust fraud. National newspapers refer to the case as ‘Britain’s biggest Education Fraud’. £3.3million Confiscation Order made.
• R v BB, Southwark Crown Court, 2016: £3.1million fraud perpetrated against HSBC Invoice Finance UK Limited in biggest ever loss suffered by them.

Crime

• Operation Edge v MH and 8 others, 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.
• Operation Labootan. R v DB, PD, GP, GL, JH, MO and CD, Kingston Crown Court, 2018-2020: First junior to Christopher Donnellan QC in substantial (1 tonne plus) conspiracy to supply high purity cocaine (£32m wholesale) that spanned December 2016 to January 2018. The investigation resulted in over 120,000 pages of evidence including ½ million rows of telephone data and was presented in court electronically with iPads. First case prosecuted where defendants used Encrochat devices. Trial one stopped in 2018 with two further trials, each lasting three months, in 2019. Defendants sentenced to a total of 111 years’ imprisonment with principal organiser sentenced to 27 years’.
• R v HP, KM and AS, Harrow Crown Court, 2019 before Simler LJ (sitting as a judge of the High Court): 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 three defendants successfully prosecuted and received combined sentences of 25 years with two defendants deemed ‘dangerous’ and sentenced to extended terms of imprisonment.
• R v SG, Central Criminal Court, 2019: Successfully defended HGV driver accused of causing a death by dangerous 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.

Rape, Sexual Offences & Child Abuse

• R v WT, Croydon Crown Court, 2020: Led by Tom Little QC, Senior Treasury Counsel. Successfully prosecuted serial rapist sentenced to life imprisonment.
• R v AA, Snaresbrook Crown Court, 2018: Prosecuted Scoutmaster who groomed and sexually abused at least 7 young cubs and scouts, aged between 9 and 13 years.  Sentenced to 11 years’ imprisonment and made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for life.
• R v GS, Woolwich Crown Court, 2017: Successfully prosecuted non-recent inter-familial rape and child abuse (sexual, physical and physiological) case which spanned 4 decades and involved multiple complainants. Defendant sentenced to 26 years’ imprisonment.
• R v PO, Isleworth Crown Court, 2017: Dubbed ‘Ripper of Ravenscourt’ the defendant attacked eight women including one schoolgirl over the course of three days around the Ravenscourt Park area of London.

Public law

• McCourt v Parole Board (2020) [2020] A.C.D. 127
  Led by Tom Little QC. Represented the Claimant in two day judicial review challenging the Parole Board’s decision to release Ian Simms. He was convicted of murdering Claimant’s daughter – Helen McCourt in 1989 but still refuses to say where her body is. Successful submissions as to standing to bring the proceedings were accepted by the Court and represent important clarity on that issue.

Regulatory & Disciplinary

• Commissioner of Metropolis v MM and SC, 2020: Advised and represented Appropriate Authority in Professional Misconduct Proceedings where operational dishonesty proved that led to dismissal without notice.

Health & Safety

• HSE v New Earth Solutions Group, Maidstone Crown Court, 2016: Prosecuted company for breaching Health & Safety at Work Act, which resulted in the death of an employee.
• HSE v Mahle Powertrain Ltd, Birmingham Crown Court, 2016: Prosecuted company for significant and substantial breaches of Manual Handling at Work.

• Crime & Fraud
• Inquests & Inquiries
• Police Law
• Regulatory & Disciplinary