Ranked amongst the UK\’s best serious crime barristers

An allegation of kidnap for ransom committed over a 3-day period by a gang of human traffickers attempting to collect an alleged debt owed to them by the owner of a massage parlour.

£53m armed robbery and kidnapping. A seven month trial at the Old Bailey representing one of the armed gang said to have kidnapped the manager of the Securitas Depot in Kent, his wife and 8 year old child. Members of the gang wearing prosthetic disguises and dressed as policemen stopped the manager on his way home from work and took him to a farm where his wife and child were being held having been kidnapped from their home again by members of the gang dressed as policemen. Stephen Vullo conducted all of the very substantial cross-examination in respect of cell site analysis. The Crown’s expert gave evidence for over 2 weeks. He also dealt with all the cross-examination of the forensic scientist on the issue of low copy number (LCN) DNA profiling.

Charged with conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and possession of firearms. The defendant was acquitted after a 9 week trial.

Importation of 1 ton of cannabis resin inside specially constructed carpet hides – the defendants claimed to have been duped believing that the load was to be tobacco. First tried in 2002 when all of the defendants were convicted. A re-trial was ordered by the Court of Appeal. After a number of delays due to public interest immunity (PII) applications being made by the Crown, the second trial (Stephen Vullo first instructed) was heard in January 2006 which was aborted due to allegations of jury tampering. At the third trial in September 2006 the prosecution had to make admissions before the jury that the man named in defence statements served in the first trial had been convicted of drug smuggling on two separate occasions and had in the past duped others into doing so. Furthermore, he had ordered the murder of a co-defendant before their joint trial, who in his defence statement had claimed also to have been duped. All the defendants were acquitted.