Laurie-Anne Power KC

Barrister

Appointed Silk in 2022, Laurie-Anne is highly experienced. She has acted on cases of varying size and complexity including murder, kidnap, firearms offences, sexual offences and complex fraud and associated offences including hidden asset recovery and confiscation.

She has appeared before the Court of Appeal, Courts Martial and the International Criminal Tribunal. Laurie-Anne is often instructed to appear in cases that require a firm yet affable approach. She has a reputation for being fearless.

Laurie-Anne spent considerable time at the United Nations supported Special Court in Sierra Leone. In this International Criminal Tribunal she appeared as a consultant for a defendant charged with mass genocide and allied crimes against humanity. She specialised in forced marriages/sexual slavery and child slavery in Sierra Leone, Liberia and other parts of West Africa.

Laurie-Anne is ranked as a leader in Crime in the Legal 500 and Chambers UK.

Laurie-Anne was appointed as a Bencher of The Honourable Society of Middle Temple in July 2023.

Laurie-Anne was awarded BSN Lawyer of the Year at the UK Diversity Legal Awards 2019.

Associated Work

Former lecturer and unit leader at the London Metropolitan University, She lectured in criminal evidence and procedure and criminal law.
Lectured on the Bar Vocational course (Manchester University) teaching advocacy and ethics.
Laurie-Anne acted as the main researcher for an international event relating to the death penalty and death row cases in the United States, research included analysing State Law and how it related to European Law and whether it was compatible with the European Conventions on Human Rights, cases attracting life sentences and the European moral and ethical perspective.
Represented the bar council as part of their delegation to New York co-chairing with the New York City Lawyers Association; Delivered seminars on International Fraud, International Cooperate investigations and differed prosecutions.
Laurie-Anne is one of the Bar Council’s volunteers for education and training in schools and colleges in London.
She acts as a volunteer for two government-recognised organisations, Inspirational U and Urban Synergy. Both organisations address the career development of young people in urban or marginalised areas; She spends a lot of time in schools mentoring young people about careers, social development and achieving their potential.
In 2016, Laurie-Anne gave a lecture on Employability at the Bar for Black History Month at BPP Law School - the BPP African & Caribbean Society commented afterwards "thank you for showing us what fearless looks like".

Recent Testimonials

"Laurie-Anne is the epitome of the modern silk. She is fiercely intelligent, empathic, tactically astute and smooth in her presentation to judge and jury. She can break down complex legal principles to palatable form and is utterly charming." Legal 500 2024, Crime
"Laurie-Anne is a first port of call for the most grave and serious offences. Her recent appointment to KC is long overdue and well deserved" Chambers UK 2023, New Silks: Crime
"A real hard worker. You can trust her on paper-heavy cases as she will know everything." Chambers UK 2022
"Laurie-Anne is a hardworking, committed advocate with a fantastic acquittal rate. She is an outstanding advocate. She is balanced and down to earth in her approach. She is able to show empathy with defendants and their families which is a key skill in my view. She is able to quickly gain the trust of clients and this assists when obtaining detailed instructions from difficult / vulnerable clients in complex or serious cases." Legal 500 2022, Crime
"An extremely able advocate who has a confident and clear grasp of law. Her judgement is excellent." Chambers UK 2021
"Her advocacy is to the point and persuasive. She is a true jury advocate." Legal 500 2021
"A fighter and a true defence advocate. She will fight for your client to the very end. She builds excellent relationships with your clients and they trust her wholeheartedly." Legal 500 2021
"Exceptionally hardworking, comitted and experienced, and also a talented advocate." Legal 500 2018
"Her aptitude in the most serious and complex matters is phenomenal." Legal 500

Professional Memberships

Middle Temple
Criminal Bar Association
International Lawyers Association
Women in Criminal Law

Serious Criminal Offences

R v Nicholas Van Hoogstraten - Murder, high profile, conspiracy to commit murder trial. Property tycoon accused of instructing two others to kill a business associate.
R v B - Murder, defendant jointly charged with twelve others in the double murder of two brothers. The matter being split into two separate trials due to its exceptional size. She later appeared in the Court of Appeal, successfully appealing the convictions following the interference with witnesses who had given evidence. Re trials were ordered.
R v FF - Murder, defendant jointly charged with drug/ gang related conspiracy to commit murder on Broad Water Farm. Defendant acquitted following a cutthroat case being advanced.
R v CC - Attempted Murder, acting for a juvenile charged with drug and gang related attempted Murder/conspiracy to commit Grievous Bodily Harm with the use of a firearm. Defendant alleged to have shot the victim in the back and then stabbed him multiple times. Defendant acquitted of attempted murder.
R v C - Murder. The deceased a father of 5 was killed in front of his sons. The defendant was jointly charged with his mother and two brothers, the youngest brother was 15yrs at the time of the killing. Case dealt with issues involving joint enterprise and the relevance of knowledge that a co-defendant possesses or may posses a weapon at the time of a violent confrontation. Defendant acquitted of murder.
R v B - Murder. Gang related murder of a 15-year-old boy by use of a samurai sword. The youngest defendant was 13 years old. Involved complex issues relating to joint enterprise and secondary parties. Also involved the use of rap lyrics and videos to establish both gang membership and motive.
R v P - Murder. Shooting case involving the murder of a South London drug user who was killed during the course of a robbery. Case involved issues surrounding co-defendants knowledge that one of their number was in possession of a firearm at the time of the robbery, cell site and ANPR.
R v RA - Attempted murder case involving the shooting of a young man whilst in his place of work. There had been two separate attempts on the victim’s life. Case involved allegations that the complainant carried the defendant’s young son, whilst the complainant was at work in the ice-cream parlour he owned a double-barrelled shot gun was used to shoot though the window, narrowly missing a young child and other customers. Following a second attempt a few days later the victim was shot multiple times but survived. The defendant was acquitted, the co- accused was convicted.
R v BF - Murder case involving the group attack of a young boy in a busy student nightclub following and argument in a queue.
R v X - Case involved historic allegations of rape and sexual assault. The defendant was alleged to have raped and assaulted a boy aged between 10-13yrs. The case gave rise to issues such as the relevance of the complainants sexuality and lifestyle and the admissibility of material posted on social networking sites.
R v DP - Case involved historic allegations of sexual assault against the defendant’s stepchildren. The female defendant was said to have been complicit in the abuse with her then partner and was alleged to have assisted him in grooming, abusing and allowing other people to abuse the complainants. Defendant was acquitted.
R v RH - Case involved multiple allegations of rape by unrelated Complainants. The young athlete defendant was alleged to have raped the girls after luring them to various locations using his high profile as an athlete. Defendant acquitted of all charges.
R v EW - Case involves Historic allegations of rape and indecent assault dating back over 20 years. Six complainants some of whom were related alleged that the abuse took place during their childhood as well as when they had reached adulthood. Case involved complex issues of disclosure, severance and consent. One of the complainants became pregnant by the defendant whilst she was an adult, it was accepted that she was having a consensual relationship with the defendant following years of grooming and abuse as a child.
R v EP - Case involved Historic allegations of Rape and Sexual Assault of the defendant’s stepchild. Allegations dated back over 20 years and involved jurisdiction issues.
R v G - Conspiracy to Supply Class A - instructed for defendant jointly charged with conspiracy to Supply Class A drugs. This case involved one of the North of England’s biggest drug seizures. Case involved 7 defendants and two years of surveillance both in the UK and Europe.
R v JO - Defendant jointly charged with four others with a gang related kidnap and false imprisonment of a child. Defendant and his gang kidnapped the 6-year-old brother of a rival gang member and kept him hostage without food or water for several days.
R v S - Violent Disorder involving 26 defendants allegation arising out of clashes between rival football gangs.
R v CB - Conspiracy to Supply Class A drugs. Multi- handed case involving large amounts of Class A drugs being imported from Eastern Europe in Bristol. Case involved 2 years of surveillance, extensive telephone evidence and a complex serious crime prevention order.

R v Wakit & Others - Large scale fraud involving Filipino family setting up fraudulent money lending business and hiding the assets abroad. Numerous victims and large sums of money involved. Co-defendants charged and alleged to have acted as the defendants enforcer. Acquitted.
R v Annan - Fraud by a member of RBS. Overall fraud valued at £2.6m. involved an organised network of people from within the bank sharing banking information with outsiders to commit the fraud.