Kate Chidgey

Kate practices in serious crime and public law. She is an intelligent and tenacious advocate who is renowned for her disarming and personable approach.

Kate is entirely committed to the defence of all those she represents, which has resulted in success at every level, including at the High Court and Court of Appeal. Her calm and assured manner ensures that she inspires confidence in all who work with her; from those encountering the criminal justice system for the first time, to the most experienced of professional clients.

She is well-equipped to deal with both complex legal challenges and difficult witnesses. Her experience in dealing with cases involving vulnerable witnesses and defendants have led to her frequent instruction in high-profile cases involving serious sexual and human trafficking offences.

Kate is instructed alone, as a led junior and as a leading junior.

Kate is currently instructed as Junior Counsel to the Grenfell Inquiry.

Qualifications

Philosophy and Theology MA (Oxon)
CPE
BVC

Memberships

Inner Temple
Criminal Bar Association
Member of the Female Fraud Forum (FFF)
British Association for Sport and Law (BASL)

Areas of work

General Crime
Inquests
Tribunals & Inquiries

R v P - Led junior for the first defendant in four-handed Conspiracy to kidnap/Falsely Imprison and Blackmail.
R v S - Operation Hansomil - Led junior. Appeared at trial for the Defendant indicted in a large scale ‘county lines' conspiracy to supply Class A drugs to Wiltshire.
R v P - Operation Intrada - Led Junior. Appeared for the first Defendant. Multi-handed conspiracy to import in excess of £30 million of cocaine into the UK via Tilbury Docks. Defendant was acquitted.
R v AD - Junior alone. The Defendant pleaded guilty to three counts of Administering a poison so as to endanger life. The victim in the case was the Defendant's son. The Defendant was diagnosed as suffering Munchausen Syndrome by proxy. The sentencing exercise was complex and involved the consideration of the appropriateness of the combination of a ‘Hybrid Order' with an extended sentence and a Restraining Order and the cross-examination of the Defendant's treating psychiatrist. Sentence was subsequently successfully appealed.
R v J - Junior alone. The Defendant pleaded not guilty to Exposure and claimed that he had exposed himself in public in order to ‘promote naturism.' News Link
R v L - Junior alone. Defendant charged with s.18, the complainant died ten days after the assault took place. During the course of the trial the Defendant assaulted cell staff and was excluded from court. An application for Defendant to give evidence via live-link was refused and the trial proceeded in absence. Leave to appeal against conviction was granted following an application to adduce fresh psychiatric evidence in relation to the Defendant's state of mind at the time of the trial.
R v N, Operation Renard - Junior Alone. Represented the first Defendant (described by the prosecution as the ‘Head of the OCG') in a 15 handed Conspiracy to cultivate cannabis. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-kEYTbPhz0
R v TLN, Operation Hyrax - Leading Junior for the first Defendant, described by the prosecution as a ‘career trafficker.' This case concerned the UK arm of an international Organised Crime Group involved in the commercial trafficking of Vietnamese nationals into the UK. News Link
Home Officer v TLN - Junior alone. Represented the Respondent in this application for a ‘Slavery and Trafficking Risk Order.' This was one of the first applications of its kind made by the Home Office.
R v AKL, Operation Nautical 1 - Led Junior for the Defendant. This trial, lasting three months, related to allegations of child sexual exploitation and grooming in Oxfordshire between 2009-2012. Seven defendants faced multiple counts of conspiracy and substantive offences of rape. Defendant was acquitted. News Link
R v PM, Operation Winthorpe - Led Junior for the Defendant. A nationally reported case concerning allegations of historic sexual offences at Windsor School for Boys and later at St. Paul's School; 10 of the 12 complainants were students at those two schools. News Link
R v ZF - Junior alone. The Defendant was accused of making malicious phone calls to Lucy Allan MP and charged under the Malicious Communications Act. This case involved cross-examining the leading expert in the field of voice identification evidence. News Link
R v W - Junior alone. Defendant acquitted of Causing Death by Careless Driving. This case involved the instruction of expert evidence in relation to whether there was any neurological cause for his ‘blacking-out,' immediately prior to the collision.
R v TB - Led Junior for the Defendant in a case involving allegations of sexual offences and child cruelty perpetrated against the Defendant's foster children. Involved detailed analysis of Social Services records and consideration of the admissibility of family court documents.
R v TJ - Junior alone. Defendant convicted of s.18 and Dangerous Driving. News Link
R v T, Operation Svanetia - Led junior for the first Defendant in a case in which the Defendant was convicted of offences of trafficking for exploitation and conspiracy to facilitate sham marriages but acquitted of rape. The case presented an international dimension with evidence from Slovakia played out against a background of Roma culture. Sentence reduced on appeal. News Link
R v Marshall and Others - Led Junior for the prosecution of complex Flying Squad conspiracy to Rob involving 12 separate robberies with numerous stolen cars all on false plates. The case was founded upon complex cell site evidence depicting specific roles of the conspirators.
R v AS - Led junior in a money laundering allegation against the wife of a serial fraudster. Following trial and conviction on only minor counts, the defendant was given a suspended prison sentence.

Court of Appeal and High Court

R v AD, EWCA Crim 1339 - Appeal against the imposition of an extended sentence and Restraining Order against the appellant which prohibited her from contact with ‘all children under 16' on the ground that the prohibition was too wide a group to satisfy the requirement that the person protected by the order be properly defined. Appeal against Restraining Order granted.
R v Nicholas Little - Leave to appeal granted on grounds the Judge erred in not allowing the Defendant to give evidence via live-link and in not adjourning to allow the appellant to be psychiatrically assessed in order that a report could be provided to the court in support of the live-link application. Leave granted for fresh evidence of the appellant's psychiatric state at the time of trial to be adduced at the appeal.
R v Ahmed - Successful appeal against sentence.
R. (on the application of Jones) v Bedfordshire and Mid Bedfordshire Magistrates Court EWHC 523 (Admin); (2010) 174 J.P. 278 Archbold 5-88 and 19-277g - Successful appeal by way of case stated overturning a conviction for Harassment in Bedford Magistrates' Court. The CPS also appealed against the defendant's acquittal of a Racially Aggravated s.5 offence and Kate therefore unusually appeared both as appellant and respondent in this case.
H v City of Westminster, Magistrates' Court - A difficult case culminating in an oral application in the High Court for Judicial Review of a decision to issue a warrant of commitment following non-payment of a Confiscation Order. Advised applicant on the merits of pursuing an application for bail in the High Court pending the outcome of her Certificate of Inadequacy application.
R v Baxter EWCA Crim 2178 - Successful appeal against sentence for shop-lifting from four months to one month. Sentence for possession of heroin reduced to "no separate penalty."
R v Freeman EWCA Crim 2772 - Successful appeal against sentence for an offence of theft. Sentence reduced from 15 months to 9 months imprisonment enabling the defendant's immediate release.
R v Daly EWCA Crim 2901 - Appeal against sentence for a "one-punch" ABH which involved detailed analysis of all "one-punch," assault cases.

R v MR and Others - Basildon Crown Court: Kate is instructed to represent the defendant charged with Conspiracy to Defraud. It is alleged that he, together with four others, has been party to an alleged £1 million ‘puppy-farm’ fraud.
R v MZ and Others - Reading Crown Court: Kate was instructed to appear for the first defendant in this case arising out of an HMRC investigation into suspected money laundering activities of a group of defendants largely based around and operating in the Berkshire area. The Crown’s case was that the defendants had laundered the proceeds of crime - circa £25m in cash - by channelling large sums of cash through bank accounts to Dubai.
R v AM and Others - Southwark Crown Court: Kate was instructed as leading junior to represent AM. The case involved the use of two companies the prosecution alleged had been set up to perpetrate the fraud. AM was the Director of one of the companies. The case arose out of a large investigation, named ‘Operation Leviathon.’ AM was charged with two counts of Conspiracy to Defraud and one of money laundering relating to the proceeds of an advance ticket fraud relating to corporate hospitality tickets for international rugby matches at Twickenham. The proceeds of the fraud were £1.8 million. The case involved the use of two companies the prosecution alleged had been set up to perpetrate the fraud. AM was the Director of one of the companies. AM was acquitted of the most serious allegation.
R v AA and Others - Woolwich Crown Court: Kate represented AA, one of six defendants, charged with Conspiracy to money launder following a police investigation into a cyber enabled mandate fraud. Following a six week trial AA was convicted of a charge relating only to the money that had been laundered through his account. AA received a suspended sentenced.
R v AS - Southwark Crown Court: Kate appeared as led junior in a trial where she represented the wife of a serial fraudster on related counts of money laundering. Following trial and conviction on only minor counts, the defendant was given a suspended sentence.