Richard Sedgwick

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Overview

Richard has been with Chambers since 2013 and is an established criminal practitioner. He 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.

Crime - Prosecution

R v H, Snaresbrook Crown Court (2024)
Prosecution of a defendant accused of managing in excess of 80kg of cocaine and heroin, and being part of a conspiracy to smuggle drugs into prison. The investigation involved Encrochat material arising from Operation Venetic.
R v C & Ors, Reading Crown Court (2023) – ongoing
Led junior by David Matthew. Prosecution of a group of animal rights activists accused of stealing animals.
R v C & Ors, Inner London Crown Court (2023)
Led junior by Grace Ong in the prosecution of two armed robberies; the first targeting cash in transit deliveries, and the second a home invasion robbery targeting a large sum of cash.
R v K, Kingston Crown Court (2022)
Led junior by Russell Pyne 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 – Dealer sentenced to 12 years for selling cocaine in Buckinghamshire – Buckinghamshire Live
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 by Christopher Hewertson 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 – County lines drug dealers that exploited teens in their lucrative operation jailed for 23 years – Kent | British Transport Police (btp.police.uk).
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 the time of the previous conviction.
R v D & Ors, Birmingham Crown Court (2019)
Led junior by Michael Williams 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 by Oliver Wellings 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 the prosecution of five youths and one adult accused of a group attack in Staines. The case involved a considerable volume of CCTV evidence, as well as telephone evidence of contact between the Defendants.

Crime - Defence

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 prior 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 a Thames Valley prosecution relating to a 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

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

News

27 Mar 2020

Gang jailed for string of West Midlands car-jackings

Between September and November last year, Michael Williams led Richard Sedgwick in the successful prosecution of a gang of armed robbers responsible for the...