Craig Rush
- LLB Hons
- “Craig is an exceptional advocate who is usually the one who stands out when he defends in multi handed cases.” Chambers & Partners 2024 (Crime)
- He is an excellent advocate. An excellent cross-examiner and excellent at speeches.” Chambers & Partners 2024 (Health & Safety)
- “Craig is a silk in all but title. He has a fluid, charming and, when necessary, ferocious, advocacy style and is also a devastating cross-examiner.” Legal 500 2024
Instructing Craig Rush
To instruct Craig or for any further information please contact our clerks.
Clerk: John Grimmer
Telephone: +44 (0)7776 154 664
Email: Click here
Called to the Bar in 1989 Craig Rush has been ranked as a Leader at the Bar by the independent legal directories in both Crime and Health & Safety for over a decade.
Chambers & Partners 2024 says, in Crime: “Craig Rush is an acclaimed criminal junior with a strong history of defending complex cases. He is particularly adept at handling privately funded criminal matters such as those involving homicide or firearms. He is also highlighted for his expertise in domestic violence, blackmail and international gang related cases.
Craig is an exceptional advocate who is usually the one who stands out when he defends in multi handed cases.”
Legal 500 2024 says, in Crime: “Craig is a silk in all but title. He has a fluid, charming and, when necessary, ferocious, advocacy style and is also a devastating cross-examiner.”
Craig is often instructed in cases against or co-Defending with silks. He has appeared in well over 50 homicide cases, usually as a leading junior. He has particular expertise in firearms cases and in defending substantial drug conspiracies. His notable cases include the Tonbridge Securitas Robbery in which he acted for the alleged mastermind and only acquitted defendant JF; the Swissport Heathrow Robbery in which he led for the acquitted AJ and the ‘Magic Box’ fraud case in which he led for the acquitted first Defendant DN.
Chambers & Partners 2024 says, in Health & Safety: “Craig Rush handles an array of regulatory matters and has been instructed in numerous health and safety cases across a range of sectors. He is also regularly called upon to undertake complex cases for the Care Quality Commission and HSE. He has particular experience defending major companies in HSE prosecutions arising from fatal accidents and severe injury incidents occurring on site.
He is an excellent advocate. An excellent cross-examiner and excellent at speeches.”
Craig has prosecuted and defended in a large number of cases involving death or serious injury. These include a substantial specialist demolition contractor over a fatality occurring during demolition works in Elephant & Castle; a Principal Contractor for a fatality during Crossrail construction; and, a specialist Veterinary Practice for exposing its staff to carcinogenic material during animal chemotherapy treatment. He has been instructed on a number of appeals in the care home sector involving the CQC.
The other primary area of Craig’s practice is in professional discipline. He has appeared on behalf of barristers before the Bar Council and is frequently instructed in complex, multi-handed police disciplinary cases. His notable cases include representing AFH before the Bar Council, successfully resisting suspension/striking off in a case of admitted misconduct; PS E before the Police Conduct Tribunal in a lengthy case alleging workplace sexual and racist misconduct and for Pc S in a highly complex case before the Police Conduct Tribunal involving breaches of the General Data Protection Regulation and the sharing of data between different law enforcement agencies. He has been instructed by the SRA in relation to two separate interventions into Solicitor’s firms and consequent litigation therefrom.
Craig Rush is available to be instructed directly by the public in certain circumstances.
Practice Areas
Notable crime cases
R v Toomey et al (Heathrow)
R v Tipple
R v Wiliams
R v Wall
R v Jenkins
R v Fowler (Tonbridge Securitas)
R v Penny
R v Burr (Peacock Gym)
R v Brown
R v Stokes
R v Wright
R v Johnson
R v Greener
R v Tottman
R v Van Staden
R v Yorganci
R v French
R v McNay
R v Kennedy
Notable fraud cases
R v Nelson
R v Wise
R v Fisher
R v Wright
R v Price
R v Biddle
R v Elsworth
I was called to the Bar in 1989. I was appointed to the Attorney-General’s List of Counsel in 1995 and began involvement in Health and Safety work around that time. I moved up from the C list, through the B list until I was appointed to the A list in 2005. I remain A list counsel on what is now the Health and Safety Executive and Environment Agency List of Approved Counsel.
I have appeared in a large number of Health and Safety prosecutions over the last twenty years. These have been appearances in the Magistrates Court, Crown Court and Court of Appeal, as Junior Counsel, Sole Counsel and Leading Counsel and both prosecuting and defending in roughly equal measure.
I have appeared for the Care Quality Commission in 3 Appellate cases involving Care Homes and the exposure to risk of residents therein in the last 2 years.
I am listed as a Leader at the Bar by Chambers and Partners in Health and Safety and also in Crime. I have particular expertise in Demolition work, including the risk arising from the exposure to asbestos and other hazardous substances.
Notable health & safety cases
HSE v Dodd & Others
Multiple fatalities following a gas explosion in Whiteley Village. Led by William Clegg QC for the complex Manager.
HSE v Ace Scaffolding
Multiple injuries following the collapse of scaffolding onto a school playground. Acted for the scaffolding company.
R v Grant Oakes
Fatality arising from a fall at height on a construction site. Gross Negligence Manslaughter prosecution in which I acted as Leading Counsel for the site foreman.
HSE v London Borough of Havering
Serious injury of a worker issued with improper saw blade in disc cutter and inadequate protective clothing. Acted for the local authority in the Magistrates Court, Crown Court and the Court of Appeal.
HSE v London Borough of Redbridge
Fatality of a child who drowned in a local authority swimming pool. Acted for the local authority.
London Borough of Barking & Dagenham v Victorious Pentecostal Assembly, Omokudu & Others
Fatal fall from height at a church. Acted for the Director of the Defendant Company.
HSE v Jempsons Supermarkets, Jempson & Jempson
Serious injury resulting in double amputation arising from traffic management failings. Acted for one of the Directors of the Defendant Company.
HSE v Lustig
Serious Injury arising from inadequate slip protection and breaches of electrical regulations. Acted for the Company Director.
HSE v Bovis Lend Lease
Fatality on the construction site of the new BskyB HQ in which a worker was crushed by steel beams falling from a lorry. Prosecution of Principal Contractor, Haulier and Steel Fabricator.
HSE v Structuretone
Fatality on construction site in Kingsway, London in which a worker fell down an unlit, unsecured lift shaft. Prosecution of Principal Contractor and Sub-Contractor.
HSE v NAP Anglia
Fatality on construction site in Norfolk in which scaffolding collapsed killing a worker. Prosecution of Scaffolding Company and Director.
HSE v Maldon District Council
Fatality in public outdoor swimming pool in which a swimmer drowned. Prosecution of Local Authority, Junior Counsel led by Nigel Lithman QC.
HSE v Mays Pressure Die Casting
Serious Injury involving Amputation arising from the operation of improperly guarded machinery. Prosecution of company operating machinery.
HSE v Kebabery Wholesalers & Erceri
Serious Injury involving Amputation arising from the cleaning of improperly guarded machinery. Prosecution of company and Director.
HSE v Heinsen & Kent Blaxhill
Fatality during demolition of a building in which a worker fell from a mezzanine floor. Prosecution of Principal Contractor and Sub-Contractor.
HSE v Davies Veterinary Specialists
Prosecution arising from the exposure to risk of a number of Veterinarian Surgeons and Nurses by improper operation during the preparation of chemotherapy drugs. Prosecution of their employing company.
HSE v Birse Metro
Fatality during the excavation phase of the Cross-Rail project at Tottenham Court Road following failure to shut off the mains electricity cable and the exposure of a gang of workers to high voltage. Prosecution of the Principal Contractor.
HSE v 777 Demolition & Others
Fatality during the demolition of a building in Elephant and Castle to make way for the Stratus Building. The uncontrolled collapse of part of the fifth floor killed a demolition worker involved in asbestos removal. Prosecution as Leading Counsel of the Principal Contractor and a number of sub-contractors.
HSE v Langton
Fatality during the demolition phase of a project in which a specialist asbestos contractor was struck by a digger. Prosecution of the site foreman.
CQC v Comfort Call; CQC v Kent & CQC v Dorval
3 separate cases involving the closure of care homes following exposure of risk to residents and subsequent failed inspections.
Notable murder & manslaughter cases
R v Saunder & Others
R v Hansell
R v McDonald
R v Hayes
R v Ben-Rauf
R v Tipple
R v Williams & Others
R v Purkiss
R v Wall
R v Beavis
R v Sabat
R v Brown
R v Bishop
R v Baker
R v Dicker
R v Dorrian
R v Jamieson
R v Nichols
