Richard Sedgwick

Crime

Richard is a Grade 3 Prosecutor and is regularly briefed by the CPS as trial counsel in the Crown Court. In recent years he has routinely been instructed to prosecute organised criminal conspiracies involving the supply of drugs, including those stemming from Operation Venetic.

Prosecution cases:

R v K, Kingston Crown Court (2022) – Led junior in the prosecution of an individual charged with assault by penetration, threats to kill, controlling and coercive behaviour, and other offences arising from a decades long relationship with the complainant. Two of their children gave evidence for the prosecution.

R v R, Lewes Crown Court (2022) – Operation Venetic. Prosecution of a conspiracy to supply cocaine in quantities of over 20kg a fortnight. The courier was convicted after trial, with the other participants having pleaded guilty at an earlier stage.

R v V, Aylesbury Crown Court (2022) – Operation Venetic. Prosecution of the leader of a criminal conspiracy to supply cocaine in the Buckinghamshire area, where his co-conspirators had pleaded guilty at an earlier stage. Further details can be found here – https://www.buckinghamshirelive.com/news/buckinghamshire-news/dealer-sentenced-12-years-selling-7427706

R v S, Kingston Crown Court (2022) – Prosecution of a taxi driver charged with sexual assault. The complainant had not had her evidence recorded as part of the s. 28 process, and gave live evidence. The assault had occurred when she was drunk and isolated. The defendant was convicted.

R v A & Ors, Lewes Crown Court (2021) – Led junior in the prosecution of a county line drug operation. The conspiracy involved young boys being transported down to Cambridge to deal drugs on behalf of those higher up. Further details can be found here – https://www.btp.police.uk/news/btp/news/england/county-lines-drug-dealers-that-exploited-teens-in-their-lucrative-operation-jailed-for-23-years–kent/

R v D, Wood Green Crown Court (2020) – Post lockdown prosecution of a defendant charged with Possession with intent to supply Class A. There were lengthy legal arguments over the admissibility of his previous convictions for dealing Class A drugs due to an unclear basis of plea being submitted at time of the previous conviction.

R v D & Ors, Birmingham Crown Court (2019) – Led junior in the prosecution of a Birmingham carjacking gang. There were extensive late disclosure issues raised throughout the course of the trial. Further details can be found here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-50604409.

R v P & Ors, Oxford Crown Court (2019) – Prosecution of a cross border fraud involving a forged will concerning property worth over £350,000. The case involved issues of jurisdiction, and how the defendant and her proposed witness could give evidence without physically attending court.

R v H & Ors, Birmingham Crown Court (2018) – led junior in the prosecution of ten individuals from rival families charged with violent disorder outside Birmingham Crown Court.

R v M, Oxford Crown Court (2018) – Prosecution of an individual accused of ‘cuckooing’ in Bicester village. The case required careful presentation of phone evidence, along with extensive cross examination of the defendant.

R v L & Ors, Reading Crown Court (2017) – Led junior in a prosecution of five youths and one adult accused of a group attack at Staines. The case involved a considerable volume of CCTV evidence, as well as telephone evidence of contact between the Defendants.

Defence cases:

R v G, Portsmouth Crown Court (2020) – Defendant was charged with two weapons offences. One count was dismissed at half-time, and the defendant was acquitted of the second count after it became clear that he had been the victim of an assault at the time.

R v M, Inner London Crown Court (2018) – Defendant was charged with robbery. The Crown’s case turned on identification evidence from individuals the Defendant had admitted assaulting immediately proper to the attempted robbery. The Defendant was acquitted.

R v T, Portsmouth Crown Court (2016) – led junior in the defence of a former teacher accused of sexually abusing 12 former pupils over a number of years. The case involved the cross examination of vulnerable witnesses, cross admissibility, and bad character evidence from a further complainant who could not be added to the indictment.

Disclosure

Operation Resolve

From October 2017 to March 2018 Richard was instructed as one of a number of junior counsel tasked with reviewing material in preparation for the trials relating to the Hillsborough disaster. This involved considering statements, reports and exhibits accrued since the disaster combining the pre-CPIA disclosure regime with the current regime.

Operation Hornet

From October 2015 to August 2016 Richard was instructed as one of a number of junior counsel as a disclosure officer, and latterly disclosure counsel, in Operation Hornet, a Thames Valley prosecution relating to corrupt banking activities at HBoS in Reading. The investigation was the most complex ever undertaken by Thames Valley Police, and involved the consideration of hundreds of thousands of banking documents accrued over nearly a decade. Further details of the case can be found at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38842723

Family

C v P (2019) – Oxford Family Court (Private Law) Represented the mother in a two day fact-finding hearing in relation to allegations made against the father acting improperly in the presence of their child.

Education

• BA (Hons) University of Leeds
• GDL and BVC at BPP London

Inn

• Middle Temple

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