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Education

1994-1997, St Edmund Hall, Oxford, Modern History
1999-2000, City University, London, Common Professional Examination in Law
2000-2001, Inns of Court School of Law, London, Bar Vocational Course

Practice

Geoff Payne specialises in criminal defence with a particular emphasis on high value heavy fraud cases.

Over the past few years, the vast majority of his work has consisted of defending clients in lengthy trials involving allegations of fraud of up to £450 million in total.  He has a particular expertise in Missing Trader Intra-Community (MTIC) fraud but has also acted in cases concerning alleged advance fee frauds, dishonest contra-trading and frauds in the construction sector.  He has successfully dealt with a number of confiscation proceedings.

He has also appeared in proceedings for defendants accused of corruption and misconduct in public office in areas such as the police and the Ministry of Defence.

Geoff Payne’s practice also encompasses cases of heavy crime, such as those involving allegations of murder and assault occasioning grievous bodily harm.

Geoff Payne is associated with the following areas of expertise:

Crime
General Fraud
Regulatory and Disciplinary
White Collar Crime

Cases

Fraud and Financial Regulation

 

  • R v Peacock and Others (Operation Daybreak) Southwark Crown Court - 2012 - acted as junior on behalf of a defendant in a £115 million 'Ponzi' fraud, the largest such fraud ever prosecuted.  Secured acquittals on counts of fraud and recklessly making a false or misleading statement to investors; the only conviction was for a regulatory matter.  The case generated national coverage in both the print and broadcast media.
  • R v F and Others (Operation Rosary) Birmingham Crown Court - Instructed on behalf of the Managing Director of an alleged exporting company in a Missing Trader Intra-Community Fraud.
  • R v K and Others (Operation Vex) Kingston Crown Court - Instructed on behalf of the Company Secretary an alleged freight forwarder in a large Missing Trader-Community Fraud listed for trial in 2013.
  • R v J and Others (Operation Vaulter) Southwark Crown Court – Instructed on behalf of a defendant in a large Missing Trader Intra-Community Fraud; listed for trial in 2012 or 2013.
  • R v Assadigohar and Others, Leicester Crown Court - 2011 - Successfully defended a client accused of perverting the course of justice arising out of an insurance fraud.
  • R v Randhawa and Others (Operation Duma) Birmingham Crown Court - 2010 - Represented a company director in a trial lasting almost six months which concerned allegations of carousel trading.  Represented the defendant in the Court of Appeal in what has become the reported case of Randhawa [2012] EWCA Crim 1.
  • R v Phillips and Others (Operation Digits) Birmingham Crown Court - 2010 – Represented a company director in an alleged VAT and payroll fraud concerning the construction industry.  Represented the defendant in the Court of Appeal in what became the reported case of Phillips [2011] EWCA Crim 2935.
  • R v Halliday and others; R v Apabhai and Others (Operation Euripus) Southwark Crown Court – 2007-2010 - Represented two defendants in sequential trials of what was the largest Missing Trader Intra-Community Fraud case ever prosecuted. Acted alone in subsequent proceedings in the Court of Appeal for the latter client.  The case is reported as Apabhai [2011] EWCA Crim 917.
  • R v Drewery and Others (Operation Gnawed) Nottingham Crown Court  – 2007 - Represented the alleged operator of a missing trader company; mounted an abuse of process argument that led to the case being stayed.
  • R v Matthews and Others (Operation Shoot) Birmingham and Worcester Crown Courts - 2006-2007  – Represented a director accused of dealing with missing trades in a £50 million carousel fraud, both at the original trial and the re-trial.
  • R v Selby (Operation Itches) Southwark Crown Court - 2005 – Represented a director of a European company trading in what was alleged to be a Missing Trader Intra-Community Fraud. Acted for the same defendant in High Court proceedings arising out of an alleged breach of Restraint Order; he was acquitted of most charges.
  • R v Martin and Others (Operation Corsair) Sheffield Crown Court- 2005 – Represented a director of a loan company that was allegedly being used as the vehicle for a multi-million pound advance fee fraud involving what was said to be a dishonest Cypriot bank and companies in the British Virgin Islands. Prosecution forced to offer no evidence.
  • R v Fowler and Others, Maidstone Crown Court - 2005 - Represented former employee of Ministry of Defence on corruption and fraud allegations. The indictment case was stayed on grounds of abuse of process.
  • R v Day and Others (Operation Ginseng) Bristol Crown Court- 2005 – Represented a sole trader in £22 million carousel fraud; the prosecution was eventually forced to offer no evidence.
  • R v Deb and Others, Sheffield Crown Court - 2004 - Represented one of the defendants in a credit card cloning fraud; negotiated a favourable basis of plea with the prosecution.
  • R v Corkhill (Operation Daring) Stafford Crown Court - 2003 - Represented a single defendant in a Missing Trader Intra-Community Fraud comprising losses of £35 million.

Crime

  • R v Knaggs and Others (Operation Dearly) Birmingham Crown Court - 2011-2012 – represented the first defendant as junior in a six-handed conspiracy investigated by the Serious Organised Crime Agency.  It was alleged that the defendants conspired to import up to five tonnes of cocaine from South America to the United Kingdom in a number of separate enterprises.  The trial lasted six months.
  • R v Srebro and Others (Operation Caroche) Winchester Crown Court – represented the ring leader in an international cannabis smuggling organisation. Cannabis was smuggled into Southampton on a tugboat. Case made the national media.
  • R v W and Others (Operation Castorland) Central Criminal Court  – twenty-one handed gang-related murder comprising exclusively young defendants.  The case was reported extensively and the trial lasted some three months.
  • R v W and Others, Isleworth Crown Court – secured the half time acquittal of a youth being tried with two others of a gang-related offence of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
  • R v Hannigan and Others (Operation Tibet) Harrow Crown Court – police corruption conspiracy involving information obtained from the Police National Computer.  Matter went to re-trial.
  • R v Fowler, Maidstone Crown Court­ – alleged corruption in the Ministry of Defence involving allegedly dishonest procurement processes.  Defence team successfully secured a stay after a three day abuse of process application on the grounds of non-disclosure and delay. Had the trial proceeded, it would have lasted three months.
  • R v Gabbidon, Luton Crown Court ­­– leading counsel for a sole defendant facing allegations of inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent  (originally attempted murder) and dangerous driving. Defendant was acquitted after a three and a half week trial.
  • R v Rember, St. Albans Crown Court­ - organised armed robberies of jewellers involving losses of several hundred thousand pounds worth of stock.

 Regulatory and Disciplinary

  • Re. D.I. John Redgrave (Police Disciplinary Tribunal and Home Office Appeals Tribunal) Appeared during several of the appeals of what has been the longest running police discipline case on record.

Proceeds of Crime Act

  • R v S and others – Winchester Crown Court – representing the defendant in confiscation proceedings with a strong international dimension, securing a nil confiscation order.
  • R v Selby (Southwark Crown Court) (Operation Itches) – dealt with the confiscation proceedings and obtained a favourable outcome; dealt also with successive (and eventually successful) arguments concerning the obtaining of a Certificate of Inadequacy
  • R v Deb & Others (Sheffield Crown Court) – dealt with the confiscation proceedings.

Reported Cases

  • Phillips [2011] EWCA Crim 2935­ - the appeal concerned the test for the admissibility of bad character evidence at the instigation of a co-defendant where cut-throat defences were run.  The trial judge was found to have made two errors in the application of the relevant law.
  • Randhawa [2012] EWCA Crim 1 - the appeal concerned Restraint Orders, the privilege against self-incrimination and the desirability of new standard terms in such orders

Associated Work & Articles 

  • Article on Legal Aid (originally published in Legal Democrat) - click here to read
  • Member of the Liberal Democrat Policy Working Group on drugs and criminal justice policy Former Vice-Chair and current member of the Liberal Democrat National Policy Committee.
  • Vice-Chair of the Liberal Democrat National Conference Committee.

Professional Memberships

  • Former Treasurer and later Chair of the Young Fraud Lawyers Association
  • Criminal Bar Association
  • Liberal Democrat Lawyers Association
  • Proceeds of Crime Lawyers Association (POCLA)
  • Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers (ARDL)
  • United Kingdom Environmental Law Association (UKELA) 

Contact

T. 020 7067 1500

E. gpayne@25bedfordrow.com