Paul Mendelle KC

Head of Chambers

Paul Mendelle KC is a respected and impressive criminal silk who practices exclusively in defence. He has extensive experience of the most serious and high-profile cases His criminal and quasi-criminal work includes murder, fraud, corruption, organised crime and money laundering, with special emphasis on cases involving complex expert/scientific evidence. Paul’s disciplinary and regulatory work includes representing financial and sports professionals.

He is a very persuasive advocate, who is tactically smart. Chambers UK

Joint Head of Chambers since 2010. Qualified to accept Direct Access Work.

Professional Memberships

Criminal Bar Association
South Eastern Circuit

Recent Testimonials

"Paul Mendelle KC is a respected and impressive silk with extensive experience of the most serious and high-profile criminal cases. He has handled numerous murder cases, including those relating to gangland warfare, and has also played a significant part in Operation Elveden." Chambers UK 2023, Crime
"Every case is prepared meticulously, and his manner with clients is faultless." Chambers UK 2023, Crime
"Paul is an incredibly impressive trial advocate who commands the court room with effortless grace and style." Legal 500 Crime 2023
“His gravitas in court is something to behold." Chambers UK 2022
“Paul is one of the most distinguished practitioners at the Criminal Bar. He is honest, forensically thorough and supremely articulate — no client could hope or find better. Amongst his many strengths and qualities are his highly accomplished advocacy, the extremely high standard of his written submissions and his expert legal knowledge. He is a powerful presence in court and brings great authority to bear with real courtesy and charm. “ Legal 500 Crime 2022
“He is very meticulous and forensic in his approach and has huge gravitas in court.” Chambers UK 2021
“Very smooth as an advocate and immensely experienced, he has a very soothing manner with the jury.” Chambers UK 2021
“A precise, authoritative silk who is great with difficult clients.” Legal 500 2021
“One of the silkiest, smoothest advocates in the profession.” Legal 500 2020
“Legally, he's like a lecturer on law – so precise and incisive. No words are wasted when he talks. Quick on his feet and tactically astute, he's an exceptional defence advocate. “Chambers UK 2020
“A personable, effective communicator" who "when instructed in a case gives one hundred per cent." Chambers UK 2020
“A first-class cross examiner equally able to calm, bludgeon or subtly undermine witnesses as required.” Legal 500 2018
“Very canny and extremely focused on the needs of his clients.” Chambers UK
“An extremely astute and strategic operator.” Chambers UK
“Fearlessly defends his clients. “Chambers UK
“He's very smooth and assured in court.” Chambers UK
“Fabulous advocate.” Legal 500
“A gent who has a very good mind. “Chambers UK
Hard working and client-friendly” Legal 500 .
“Assured and sure-footed.” Chambers UK
A very reliable performer who has good judgement. Chambers UK
He is a formidable cross-examiner and his legal submissions are measured, succinct and very persuasive. Legal 500

Homicide

R v PM & Ors –One of four defendants said to be involved in revenge gunshot murder in London carried out by Swedish gang. Acquitted murder, convicted manslaughter.
R v DH & Or – Father charged (along with mother) with murder of their 8-week-old baby Acquitted murder, manslaughter, causing/allowing the death and child cruelty.
R v EH & Ors – One of four defendants accused of fatally stabbing of drug dealer. Acquitted murder and manslaughter.
R v DS– Acquitted of the murder and attempted murder of two men during the course of the attempted burglary by four defendants of a cannabis grow in Southend.
R v TW - charged with the attempted murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life of a man who had been acquitted five years before of murdering a friend of theirs.
R v JR – Murder, fatal stabbing in a fight after the victim had stolen two bottles of alcohol from the defendant.
R v JD – Murder, fatal stabbing in the course of a fight.
R v SE – 81 year-old defendant charged with murder following the death in 2017 of a man he had been convicted of wounding with intent 14 years before. The defendant pleaded to manslaughter on the basis of provocation.
R v ES - Shooting of rival drug dealer in Northampton over £40 drug debt.
R v AP – Young mother charged with the manslaughter of 11 month old baby she was looking after for a friend..
R v NN– Murder, gang related shooting a rival gang member.
R v TP – One of four defendants accused of murdering a drug addict in a class A county lines drug supply case..
R v RC- 29 year-old defendant of good character charged with murder by striking the victim multiple blows to the head with a metal bike lock. Acquitted of both murder and manslaughter.
R v MA – Importation and supply of firearms.
R v EB – Murder by stabbing in an alleged revenge attack for an incident involving the defendant’s sister at a party.
R v AJ -Acquitted of the murder, alleged to have been part of a group of four who fatally killed the victim in a planned attack, the defendant having driven to the scene in his own car. Volatile client, requiring sensitive approach and a high level of client care.
R v AA - Defendant stabbed the deceased in self-defence after robbing him of cannabis at knife-point. acquitted of both murder and manslaughter.
R v AP - The defendant and one other charged murder of deceased while attempting to rob him of his car. Acquitted of murder, convicted of manslaughter.
R v HJ - Acquitted of possession of a pipe bomb with intent to endanger life or cause serious damage to property contrary to s. 3(1)(b) Explosive Substances Act.
R v P & Ors - Fatal shooting outside snooker club in West Norwood, accused of second shooting a month later outside nightclub in Smithfield Market. Acquitted murder.
R v L & Ors - Gangland revenge shooting outside a take-away restaurant in Harrow Road. The victim was mistaken for a member of a rival gang who had murdered the brother of the alleged gunman. Acquitted murder.
R v G - Defendant alleged to have shot and stabbed the victim in his home in North London over £250,000 debt said to have been owed to the deceased, a Kosovan national engaged with others in multi-million pound thefts of money from parking meters.
R v C – Victim brutally murdered with an axe, found embedded in the head of the victim in a pub car park in March 1987. The case is complicated by allegations of involvement, corruption and incompetence by the Metropolitan Police. The victim’s family have fought for a public enquiry for over twenty years. The arrest of our defendant was based on the evidence of a “Supergrass”.
R v B & Ors - Defendant charged with murder, attempted murder and violent disorder along with 11 others following a juvenile street battle in Hackney. Acquitted murder and attempted murder.
R v C & Ors - Acted for the mother of “Baby P “ in separate murder and cruelty trials.
R v I & Anr - Father, accused of murdering or causing/allowing death of young son said to have died as the result of the actions of one and the failure of the other parent to prevent the death. Acquitted murder/manslaughter on judge’s direction.
R v F & Ors - One of three brothers accused of the brutal murder of a father of four in which he was stabbed to death by a vigilante mob. The gang launched a commando-style revenge raid on his home after wrongly believing he was responsible for an assault on one of them up a few hours earlier.
R v G – Defendant accused of murder in a high profile shooting outside of a nightclub in Hackney.
R v B & Ors - Fatal stabbing 14 year old Martin Dinnegan by a gang of youths in North London. Acquitted murder.
R v T & Anr – Fatal shooting of a young father in Canning Town in 2006 after failure of police to arrest perpetrators of knife assault earlier that year.
R v R & Ors - (The Chohan Family Murders ) - Acted for the main defendant accused of murdering five members of the same family to gain control of business, burying their bodies before later exhuming and dumping them at sea to avoid detection. The Old Bailey’s longest-ever murder trial, lasting 9 months, later the subject of a Channel 4 documentary.
R v O & Ors - Acted for main defendant in serious case of drugs trafficking, supply of firearms, money laundering and perverting the course of justice
R v N & Ors - Gang who targeted sex workers in West London, torturing and robbing them before murdering their last victim.
R v H & Ors - £100 million conspiracy to import/supply cannabis & cocaine. First ever trial involving super-grass evidence from Michael Michaels.
R v R & Ors - Acted for one of principal defendants in police corruption case. Acquitted after abuse of process application
R v R - Multiple rapes of elderly women committed by man dubbed “Southwark Rapist”. .
R v K - Polish serial sex offender who murdered 12 year-old girl in her home in West London. The defendant was traced through DNA on a single hair and tried seven years after the offence.
R v D & Ors - Acted for leading member of Romanian gang who chased rival gang victim into the back of an ambulance in North London and beat him to death.
R v R & Ors - Contract murder of local shopkeeper’s husband.
R v R - Single-punch manslaughter trial.
R v H - Multi handed murder between rival gangs. Acquitted murder
R v K & Anr - Acted for one of two brothers accused of murder by plunging screwdriver into temple of victim. Acquitted murder

Terrorism

R v Muhid - Solicitation to murder charges arising out of Muslim protests against Danish cartoons.

Recent Appellate Cases

Amari Smith [2021] 1 Cr. App. R. (S.) 37 - Manslaughter sentence reduced.
Maxine Benson v R [2017] EWCA Crim 120 – Appellant convicted of murder and sentenced to minimum term of 23 years and 6 months. Court of Appeal reduced to 20 years. The Court of Appeal stated an important matter of statutory construction.

Fraud and Financial Regulation

R v RK - Acquitted of fraudulently obtaining Bitcoins to the value of £1.4 million from dozens of clients of the defendant’s crypto-currency exchange. The prosecution was the first of its kind in the UK and involved complex computer and cryptographic expert evidence, as well as evidence from several international jurisdictions. The defence secured the expert services of one of the foremost crypto-currency academics in the world, after which the prosecution offered no evidence.
R v D'Albertson - Multi-national Boiler room fraud with an escrow company based in the UK issuing shares to investors, alleged to have defrauded investors of £4 million over 2 years.
R v Marsden & Others - Multi-million-pound carousel VAT fraud involving telephones and computer chips, defendant’s role being both buffer company and money launderer.
R v Thorne & Others - Alcohol diversion fraud causing loss to the exchequer of £4million.
R v Fela Omi & Others - Housing benefit and social security fraud involving false identities and counterfeit documents.
R v Selfe & Others - £50 million cigarette diversion fraud involving the importation of cigarettes alleged to be concealed in genuine loads carried by defendant’s legitimate road haulage business.

Proceeds of Crime Act

R v Axelsen & Another - Money laundering/tax evasion trial of proceeds of Jubilee Line Fraud. Intended to be the 2nd trial before that case collapsed.
R v Tascon & Others - Multi-million pound money laundering case for one of the largest-ever South American Cocaine importation conspiracies involving covert and intrusive surveillance.
R v Davies & Others - Money-laundering case for main defendant who claimed the £18 million exported in cash was his proceeds of gambling on horses.
R v Ersoy - International money laundering of drug proceeds between South America, Spain, the Far East and Switzerland.
R v Finn - Confiscation hearing for Heathrow baggage handler convicted of large-scale drug importation conspiracy.

Professional Disciplinary and Regulatory

Re: Mohammed Amir v Pakistani Cricket Board
The British Horse Racing Association v Darren May & Others - Successfully defended against allegations of race fixing and associated betting scams.
Serious Fraud Office v D & Others - Breaches of Section 19 and 20 of the Financial Services and Markets Act resulting in multi million pound client losses.