Osman Osman

Barrister

Osman is a specialist advocate, predominantly practising in business crime and regulatory cases. He is regularly instructed in the largest and most complex cases.

Highly experienced in cases involving serious fraud and financial regulatory breaches. He advises both pre and post-charge across a broad spectrum of investigations including HMRC investigations, VAT evasion allegations, MTIC and complex Trading Standards matters.

Osman advises both individuals and companies regularly in cases concerning quasi-criminal/regulatory allegations. Compliance expertise includes the Bribery Act and specifically on co-insurance contracts, third party and brokerage contracts. Osman has unrivalled expertise in defending in complex Town and Country Planning Act (TCPA) licence and HMO cases and challenging their related POCA proceedings. He has also defended in rare cases prosecuted by Ofsted under the Education and Skills Act, and in private prosecutions.

Osman is regularly instructed in complex confiscation matters including asset recovery, section 10(A) third parties interest, as well as freezing account orders. He frequently conducts contested confiscation hearings under both the Criminal Justice Act / Drug Trafficking Act and the Proceeds of Crime Act. His experience also includes contested contempt of court proceedings following alleged breaches of restraint orders, s18 and s17 POCA orders.

His general criminal practice has included numerous murder trials and major investigations conducted by the NCA and specialised prosecutorial authorities. He is adept in the cross-examination of vulnerable witnesses and appears in sensitive cases involving young complainants.

Osman advises and appears in appellate proceedings both in the Administrative Court and in the Appeal Courts. Judicial Review proceedings have included successful challenges relating to custody time limit applications. He also has experience in referring cases to the ECHR.

Ranked as a Leader in Fraud and Crime in the Legal 500 and as a Leading Criminal Junior in Chambers UK. He is a meticulous barrister who regularly handles the most complex and demanding cases.

Associated Work

Osman has lectured upon numerous topics particularly related to fraud and financial regulatory topics.
Lectures on the use of forensic evidence in homicide and sexual offences.
Visiting Fellow at Middlesex University
Visiting lecturer at the Barts & London School of Medicine & Dentistry.
Advocacy Trainer and Assessor at Inner Temple.
Inner Temple approved mentor.

Professional Memberships

Criminal Bar Association (CBA)
Fraud Lawyers Association (FLA)
Proceeds of Crime Lawyers Association (POCLA)
Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers (ARDL)
Member of the Gibraltar Bar
British Association for Sport and Law (BASL)

Fraud and Financial Regulation

Berkshire Trading Standards v MC – complex s993 fraudulent trading allegations involving three separate building companies over a three-year period.
R v JR & Others – Leading for the principal in a multi-handed complex trading standards fraud trial which lasted over 6-months.
R v B & B – complex care fraud. With issues concerning fitness to stand trial, and cross-examination of substantial number of elderly and vulnerable witnesses.
(Operation Incubus) – Multi-handed trial. One of the largest international HMRC investigations into evasion of VAT. Alleged over £50m in the evasion of duty via complex network involving. Representing the director of a North-West England logistics company. This was one of the largest and most complex cases of its kind.
R v FB – Leading junior in an alleged complex banking fraud involving an inside employee.
Trading Standards v TB – complex trading standards breach by national company relating to mis-selling.
R v SM – Leading junior. Successfully defended in a 5-year complex confiscation proceedings, relating inter alia to alleged acquirement of benefit by virtue of shareholding in a company investigated by HMRC but not no criminal allegations brought. Case had complex arguments relating to abuse of process, piercing of the corporate veil and disclosure,
R v CM – Leading junior. Complex fraud involving company owner lasting two months. Fitness to stand trial with voire dire involving leading expert psychiatric evidence for the prosecution and defence.
R v VR - Complex conspiracy to forge and conspiracy to possess with intent false identification documents.
R v SA & Others – Large scale conspiracy to launder the proceeds of crime. concerning a sophisticated matrix via pensions by way of banking fraud acquired key bank information through illegal third parties.
R v HA – led by KC in complex contested confiscation proceedings arising from a multi-million Euro international banking fraud. The hearing lasted two weeks.
R v IN & Others – Complex banking fraud by misrepresentation, as well as, making and using articles as part of a conspiracy to commit fraud.
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency v TP , High value Conspiracy to defraud. Relating to the provision of false MOT’s via a MOT Test Centre.
(Operation Valley) – Representing the principal in a complex 9-month corporate fraud based in Gibraltar. Largest and most complex case ever tried in Gibraltar.
(Operation Rouble) - Large scale money laundering operation which was connected to two other major investigations.
(Operation Bangor) – At the time the largest investigation into banking deception within the UK when over £20million was stolen by the use of stolen cheque account books which were intercepted through a North London postal sorting depot.
(Operation Intermediate) - The largest counterfeiting case to have come before a court in this jurisdiction concerning the alleged production of over £11 million of forged sterling & euro bank notes.
R v PP & Others - A conspiracy to defraud by engaging and assisting in sham marriages to non-EU nationals. This was one of the largest sham marriage conspiracies to have come before the court.
R v AKQ - Large scale banking fraud involving a bank employee.

Reported Cases

R v V [2006] EWCA Crim 2717 - Leading authority on the finding of hidden assets in confiscation proceedings.

Homicide and Serious Violence

R v R - High profile cold case review murder from 1982 concerning the murder of the defendants former partner. Concerning key areas of DNA and forensic evidence.
R v D - A married non-English speaking Turkish woman who was alleged to have doused her lover in petrol whilst he slept - the case was of national interest in Turkey and raised a great deal of public interest.
R v G - High profile triple murder by arson. Defendant was extradited from Europe.
R v Kirk - Attempted murder, when a fishing harpoon was fired into the head of a young victim, photos of which were on the front pages of the national press.
[Operation Corfu] Attempted murder, related to an ongoing feud between two families. culminated with the victim being run over by two vehicles, and then chased and stabbed numerous times.

Organised Crime

R v DM – Leading junior in a complex multi-handed “county line conspiracy” involving weeks of recorded prison calls and telephone cell-site and call data.
R v B & B – Leading junior in a complex drugs and money laundering conspiracy.
R v SP – Leading junior in a complex international drugs conspiracy.
[Operation Buster] – complex international drugs conspiracy. The case lasted over 3-months.
R v AI – Leading junior in a complex aggravated and burglary conspiracy.
R v X – allegations of human trafficking across the channel.
[Operation Yena] Leading junior in a complex case involving a year’s conspiracy of armed robberies targeting 13 banks in the South London area.
[Operation Petrel] Leading junior represented the principal in national drugs conspiracy concerning the largest drugs conspiracy in the North of England, the evidence in the case ran to over 100,000 pages.
[Operation Krakatoa] - Instructed as lead counsel in a complex conspiracy regarding the management of illegal brothels and money laundering.
R v OM & Others - Leading junior representing principal defendant in a multi handed conspiracy to supply class A drugs and money laundering which involved the use of female drugs mules. One of the first cases under the Modern Slavery Act defence was invoked successfully.
R v P & M - High profile case representing the owner and director of one of the country’s largest security firms who was alleged to have been the principal in a major drugs conspiracy involving Britain’s strongest man.
R v L & Others – Lengthy multi-hand cannabis cultivation case. One of the largest to ever come before a UK court.
R v S & Others - The importation of over multi-million pounds worth of class A into UK through a European network.
R v AV - The largest illegal pharmaceutical drug production enterprise in Europe. The case formed the basis of Channel Four Despatches programme.
R v G & Others - Large scale importation of cocaine.
[Operation Blue Sky] - Pan-European facilitation of illegal immigrants which is alleged to have involved the movement & entry of over 100,000 individuals into the UK; the largest known facilitation case at the time. Involving intercept evidence from 3 European countries.

Reported Cases

R v R [2023] EWCA Crim 205 – s58 CJA 2003 “Terminatory ruling” appeal by prosecution.
R v T & Others [2022] EWCA Crim 846 – Disparity of sentence between co-defendants
R v P [2012] EWCA unreported - Following on from R v Petherick [2012] EWCA Crim 2214 – relating to the Court’s approach to the sentencing of sole carers of children.
R v A & Others [2011] EWCA Crim 1260 - Leading authority in respect of autrefois convict, autrefois acquit, second re-trial, abuse of process in the light of media prejudice and conspiracies plots and sub plots.
R v MA [2010] EWCA Crim 169 - Appeal against conviction on a murder, jury bias, disclosure.
R v B & Others [2007] 2Cr App R S 40 - Leading authority on sentence in respect of public nuisance.

Osman has an expertise practice defending in complex Town and Country Planning Act (TCPA) licence and HMO cases..

London Borough of Barking & Dagenham v W & W – section 179(2) TCPA – CC trial
London Borough of Barnet v O – instructed complex confiscation proceedings as a result of previous TCPA conviction.
London Borough of Newham v Q - failure to obtain TCPA licence and failure to secure HMO. PCA objected to successfully.
London Borough of Barnet v Q - £450k contested confiscation in respect of failure to obtain a licence and failed HMO.
London Borough of Barking & Dagenham v JR - unlawful subletting, breach of TCPA, breach of environmental regulations and ancillary PCA.

Financial Regulation & Other Matters

Ofsted v X & X – trial relating to the operation of an alleged unauthorised school, one of only three prosecutions ever brought under s69(2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008.
Re: AXA insurance PLC - Osman was nominated as sole external counsel to AXA Insurance PLC. Advising on Bribery Act compliance in respect of insurance, co-insurance agreements in brokerage.
Osman has advised on matters including pre-charge matters, undisclosed freezing bank account orders. As well as internal investigations and basis for private prosecutions.