Instructing Sean Hammond
To instruct Sean or for any further information please contact our clerks.
Clerk: John Grimmer
Telephone: +44 (0)7776 154 664
Email: Click here
Sean Hammond is a highly recommended barrister with almost 30 years experience.
He is consistently ranked as a leader in his field in the legal directories.
Sean has considerable experience defending individuals charged with allegations of murder, drug smuggling, firearms offences and people trafficking. He has particular expertise in dealing with issues of disclosure and public interest immunity.
R v C
Defended Mr C who was charged with conspiracy to import cocaine through Portsmouth docks. The prosecution arose out of a covert police operation involving the use of probe evidence.
R v Bakir
Defended Mr Bakir who was charged with murder.
R v Martinez
Defended Mr Martinez, a Columbian national charged with conspiracy to import large quantities of cocaine. This was a multi-national investigation involving the use of covert surveillance.
R v Huntley
Defended Mr Huntley who was charged with conspiracy to import large quantities of cocaine through Sheerness docks.
R v Webb
Defended Mr Webb, a freelance journalist working for the News of the World newspaper charged with improperly obtaining confidential information from the police (misconduct in a public office). The case involved European law arguments in relation to the protection of journalistic sources. The case was stayed as an abuse of process.
R v Oztas
Defended Mr Oztas who was charged with facilitating the entry of illegal immigrants to the UK by light aircraft to private airfields in Kent.
R v Baskaya
Defended Mr Baskaya in a conspiracy to import class A drugs trial. The principal prosecution witness was a “super-grass” who was said by the police to have been responsible for a third of the heroin in the UK at the time.
R v Dimitrov
Defended Mr Dimitrov in the first ever prosecution under the Sexual Offences Act involving the exploitation of young girls from Eastern Europe in the sex trade.
In recent years Sean has specialised in advising and defending individuals, directors and companies facing allegations of fraud, money laundering, corruption, and offences under the Companies Act.
He is often asked to provide advice to individuals and companies in pre-charge and ancillary matters such as compliance, financial services regulation, restraint proceedings, seizure, and issues of disclosure and privilege.
Much of Sean’s work involves parallel civil and criminal proceedings and he has gained considerable experience in this area. He also accepts instructions to appear before the First-tier tribunal in cases arising out of alleged MTIC frauds.
In recent years, Sean has defended as both a leading junior and led junior in a number of very high profile, complex cases brought by the Serious Fraud Office, Financial Services Authority, HM Revenue and Customs and the Serious Organised Crime Agency. These included allegations of MTIC carousel fraud, VAT and tax fraud, diversion fraud, fraudulent trading, corruption of local government officials, money laundering, advance fee fraud, boiler room fraud, and various offences under the Companies Act.
R v Bell (Operation Troy)
Defended a company director charged with 2 conspiracies to defraud consumers and associated money laundering offences. Mr Bell was alleged to have been involved in 2 complex advance fee frauds resulting in a loss of £5.7 million. The trial lasted 3 months and case is one of the largest cases ever prosecuted by Trading Standards.
R v S (Operation Undivided)
Defended Mr S, who was charged with conspiracy to import vast quantities of tobacco thereby resulting in a £5 million loss of duty to HMRC.
R v F (Operation Rosary)
Defended Mr F, the managing director of a telecoms company charged with cheating the Revenue of tax due to involvement in an alleged MTIC carousel VAT fraud.
R v Chahal (Operation Tulipbox)
Defended Mr Chahal, a trader who was alleged with others to have manipulated the EU Carbon Emissions Trade Scheme (set up pursuant to the Kyoto Protocol to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change) resulting in a United Kingdom VAT loss of £38 million.
R v Fisher
Appeared on behalf of Mr Fisher in a section 20 POCA application arising out of his inability to satisfy a confiscation order.
R v N
Defended Mr N who was charged with tax evasion and money laundering.
R v M
Defended Mr M in an advance fee fraud arsing out of a failed international property development scheme.
R v Ford
Defended Mr Ford, a chartered accountant and CFO of a subsidiary of a public company on charges of conspiracy to defraud the shareholders and misleading the company auditors. The case was brought by the SFO following the collapse of Torex PLC.
R v Dingley
Defended Mr Dingley, in a £27.5 million boiler room fraud prosecuted by the FSA, City of London Police and Eurojust. Mr Dingley, a qualified accountant, was director and company secretary of a number of the off-shore companies alleged to have been involved in the fraud. This was a high profile 4 month trial involving evidence gathered from 6 jurisdictions.
R v Ali
Defended Mr Ali on charges of conspiracy to defraud Virgin Media PLC out of £6million. This was a private prosecution brought by Virgin Media.
R v Alyas (Operation Tangelo)
Defended Mr Alyas in a 17 defendant excise duty fraud described by HMRC as the biggest such prosecution for years.
R v Fisher
Defended Mr Fisher an Independent Financial Advisor charged in a £14 million mortgage fraud conspiracy. One of the co-defendants pleaded guilty and gave Queen’s evidence. This case required careful cross-examination to discredit his evidence.
R v Mahmood (Operation Bedel)
Defended Mr Mahmood who was the first defendant on the indictment. He was charged with conspiracy to cheat the revenue (alcohol diversion fraud) of £12 million and accompanying money laundering offences. As a result of focused requests for disclosure we were able to demonstrate the there were fundamental problems with the disclosure process leading to the case collapsing.
R v Wharam (Opreation Capri)
I was junior defence counsel instructed post conviction to represent Mr Wharam in the complex confiscation proceedings. The prosecution were seeking a confiscation order in the sum of £27million, after submission of skeleton arguments and negotiations with the prosecution, the matter was settled at £400,000.
R v Chung
Defended Mr. Chung, a Hong Kong national and qualified accountant charged with conspiracy to defraud the Bank of England. The prosecution alleged that Mr. Chung was part of an audacious plan to present a vast quantity of old banknotes (and associated items to confirm their bona fides), to the Bank of England with the intention that they be redeemed for their current face value, approximately £197 million.
Sean has a keen interest and detailed knowledge of military law and procedure.
Over the years, he has successfully defended in numerous courts-martial trials held at military courts in the UK and overseas. Sean also has significant experience of proceedings before the Courts-Martial Appeal Court, the Summary Appeal Court and the Service Civilian Court. He is also able to provide advice to service personnel facing Administrative Action or AGAI 67 matters.
In recent years, Sean has also provided advice and representation to individuals under investigation by IHAT and the SLPI in relation to historic/ legacy allegations from Op Telic.
R v X
Defended X, a member of HM Special Forces who was charged with causing grievous bodily harm to a member of the Parachute Regiment. As this incident occurred in a non-service context, it was tried in the civilian courts. Due to the sensitivity of the situation, parts of the hearing took place in camera.
Soldier A
Defended Soldier A, who was charged with indecently assaulting a German national. The case attracted widespread publicity in the local German press as the case was tried in a British military court as opposed to a German civilian court.
Soldier B
Defended Soldier B, who was charged with wounding another soldier whilst on duty in the Falkland Islands.
Regulatory work forms a significant part of Sean’s practice. He has appeared before numerous regulatory bodies including the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS), the General Dental Council (GDC), the General Optical Council (GOC), and the Solicitors’ Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT).
In addition to his work as an advocate, Sean also sits as a Legally Qualified Chair of the Professional Conduct Committee of the Architects Registration Board and has been appointed to sit as a Legal Assessor to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and the General Chiropractic Council (GCC). Sean has also been appointed as a Legal Adviser to Social Work England.
Dentist X
Represented Dentist X in relation to an allegation that he had performed unnecessary dental work on patients.
Solicitor Y
Represented Solicitor Y before the SDT in relation to allegations that she had misused funds held in the firm’s client account.