Nicola specialises in large-scale commercial fraud and white-collar crime. She has represented defendants in various smaller fraud cases involving tracing and system-based frauds/thefts from employers. Nicola appears as an advocate in the Court of Appeal, Divisional Court, High Court and County Court.

Areas of Practice

Crime

Professional Memberships

Young Fraud Lawyers Association
Criminal Bar Association

Notable Cases

• R v Izzigli and others; Junior counsel for the defence in a large-scale drug-money laundering case. The Defendant was an employee of a bank and the case was concerned with the laundering of proceeds of the conspiracy valued at £5 million per week from heroin importations. The trial lasted 10 weeks
• R v Skelton and others; Junior counsel for the defence in a case concerning large-scale commercial leasing and hire-purchase frauds. The trial was listed for 4 months. At several points throughout the trial process, appearing without lead-counsel (unusually as a result of counsel withdrawing in order to give evidence during the abuse of process hearing). The case also concerned confiscation proceedings.
• R v Palmer and others; Junior counsel for the defence in a case prosecuted by Customs and Excise. The case concerned over £200 million of diverted duty and VAT. This was one of a number of ‘diversion’ frauds prosecuted by Customs and Excise arising from London City Bond. The trial was listed to last 10 months and it was anticipated that the abuse of process hearing would have lasted around 1 month. Shortly before the trial commenced, Customs and Excise offered no evidence and not guilty verdicts were recorded. Preparation for this case involved detailed consideration of over 17,000 pages of disclosed statements and exhibits (and several rooms of unused). Detailed analysis and reconstruction of the paper trail was necessary to demonstrate omissions on the part of Customs and Excise and the bonded warehouses involved.
• Knowles v Hutchinson and others; Successfully defended a civil rape trial. The case was somewhat unusual as it was not linked to any criminal prosecutions