Efstathios Divaris

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Overview

Before transferring to the Bar, Efstathios Divaris was a solicitor with higher rights of audience in a leading London firm of solicitors where he gained extensive experience in serious crime, white-collar crime and extradition. Since his transfer to the Bar, Efstathios prosecutes and defends in the Crown Court and is regularly instructed in a wide range of cases, including serious violence, drugs, firearms, sexual offences and dishonesty. Efstathios is a level 3 prosecutor on the CPS general crime panel and the CPS Serious Crime panel.

Efstathios is on the SFO Prosecution Panel C list of junior counsel.

Efstathios is qualified to accept instructions on a direct access basis in suitable cases.

Crime

Efstathios has extensive experience of prosecuting and defending in the Crown Court in a wider range of offences. He has recently appeared in the Court of Appeal for the Prosecution in an appeal against conviction in a sexual assault case. The Court of Appeal found that the conviction was safe and dismissed the appeal.

• R v JS – Southwark Crown Court. Prosecuting a trial of conspiracy to supply class A drugs and conspiracy to supply prohibited firearms (Operation Venetic). The Prosecution evidence was circumstantial and largely based on cell site data from an Encrochat device and mobile phones. The Defendant was convicted on all counts after a 7-day trial and sentenced to 14 years imprisonment.

• R v SM – Croydon Crown Court. Prosecuting a trial of GBH with intent where the Defendant repeatedly poured boiling water from a kettle over the victim when the victim refused to give him the PIN to his bank card. The Defendant was convicted and sentenced to 13 years imprisonment.

• R v L and others – Wood Green Crown Court. Prosecuting a 10-day trial of transferring a prohibited firearm and possession of a prohibited firearm.

• R v M – Inner London Crown Court. Prosecuting in a trial of wounding with intent where the Defendant stabbed another on a bus after an argument about basketball. The Defendant was convicted.

• R v L and P – Reading Crown Court. Prosecuting in a trial of a robbery of an exotic dancer. Both Defendants were convicted and sentenced to 7 years imprisonment between them.

• R v W – Inner London Crown Court. Prosecuting in a trial of sexual assault where the victim was under 18 years old. The Defendant was convicted.

• R v BA – Wood Green Crown Court. Prosecuting in a trial of coercive and controlling behaviour and malicious communications. The Defendant was convicted after a 6-day trial and sentenced to 30 months imprisonment.

• R v G – Warwick Crown Court. Sexual assault of a child under 13 – Defending. The Defendant was accused of sexual assault of the daughter of his partner. The prosecution offered no evidence after the jury could not agree on a verdict.

• R v Heaven (Damien Daniel) [2024] EWCA Crim 88 – Court of Appeal. Appeared for the Prosecution in an appeal against conviction. Defendant had been convicted of witness intimidation and other offences. The issue was whether the trial judge should have acceded to the defence application that there was no case to answer on the witness intimidation.

• R v Jordan Hernandez [2023] EWCA Crim 814 – Court of Appeal Appeared for the Prosecution in an appeal against conviction. The issue was whether the conviction was safe when a prospective juror had indicated that he could not be impartial at the outset. The appeal was dismissed.

• R v C – Court of Appeal. Appeal against sentence – Appeared for the appellant, a youth, who had been sentenced to an extended sentence of 5 years detention and 2 years on licence for robbery of a pensioner who had suffered life-changing injuries as a result. The Court of Appeal quashed the sentence and substituted a determinate sentence of 5 years detention.