forrest

Practice area

Crime

Year of call: 2007


Robert prosecutes and defends in all areas of the criminal law. He is instructed in a broad range of cases including homicide, serious sexual offending and drug trafficking offences. In the last 12 months he has been instructed, as sole counsel, to prosecute a case under the Explosives Act (possessing an IED with intent), a multi-handed conspiracy to supply cocaine based on probe evidence and a home invasion aggravated burglary by a group armed with a pistol; instructions for the defence include a nationwide phishing conspiracy and representing a man charged with possession of a handgun and a large amount of cocaine.

He is also an effective junior and has been led on numerous occasions in murders, kidnaps and large scale conspiracies.

He has appeared against leading counsel at trial on several occasions.

He is a Grade 4 prosecutor.

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Recent Cases

Prosecution

  • Op. Timbre (2020) – Ipswich CC – prosecuting multi-handed conspiracy to supply cocaine; the case was founded on probe evidence and 4kgs of high purity cocaine was recovered in the arrest phase.
  • R v J (2020) – Peterborough CC – prosecuting D for an aggravated burglary in which a female, alone in the house with her children, was pistol whipped.
  • R v T (2019) – Luton CC – prosecuting D for possessing an IED with intent to endanger life; T had a previous conviction for attending a railway station with home-made nail bombs.
  • R v J and M (2019) – Snaresbrook CC – prosecuting D’s for supplying wholesale amounts of cocaine.
  • R v M (2019) – Kingston CC – prosecuting D for sexual assault; D had a significant organic brain injury which severely impeded his ability to communicate.
  • R v R (2019) – instructed to draft RN for application for permission to appeal out of time against a very old manslaughter conviction.
  • R v D (2018) – CCC – prosecuting tragic death by dangerous driving involving the death of a 12 year-old boy.
  • R v H (2018) – Chelmsford CC – D stabbed two police officers; all experts agreed that she was ‘insane’ at the time of the offence and a special verdict was returned.
  • R v C (2018) – Warwick CC – prosecuting D for disqualified driving causing serious injury; his passenger, a young female, suffered a serious brain injury. RTC experts on both sides.
  • Op. Runway (2018) – Worcester CC – led junior in two-handed revenge stabbing following the robbery of a drug dealer in Hereford.
  • Op. Academy 2 (2018) – Blackfriars CC – led junior in card-skimming conspiracy. One of the defendants was the man who had designed the skimming devices which had been sent all over the world.
  • Op. Barstow (2017) – CCC – led junior in a 4-handed kidnap of London drug dealer.
  • R v M (2016) – CCC – prosecuting D for importing just over 1kg of cocaine hidden in a shipment of instant porridge.
  • R v C (2016) – Peterborough CC – LGV driver prosecuted for dangerous driving causing serious and life-changing injury, experts on both sides.
  • R v K (2016) – Reading CC – prosecuting D on an indictment which joined 4 separate sets of allegations including two s18’s, complainant in one was left permanently disabled; consideration of Vowles and others.
  • R v D (2016) – Blackfriars CC – prosecuting D for taking indecent images of children in Colombia.
  • R v S (2016) – Winchester CC, Dove J. – prosecuting D2 (junior alone) for hiding the murder weapon after D1 had pleaded guilty to murder.

Defence

  • R v M (2020) – Portsmouth CC – defending in conspiracy to convert criminal property.
  • R v B (2019) – Winchester CC – defending man charged with serious domestic violence.
  • R v N (2019) – Winchester CC – representing man charged with making indecent images.
  • R v K (2018) – Snaresbrook CC – represented an estate agent charged with fraudulent trading.
  • R v D (2018) – Blackfriars CC – defending in conspiracy to rob using hammers and stolen mopeds.
  • R v G (2018) – Oxford CC – defending in ‘punishment stabbing’ which took place in prison; D had a previous conviction for s.18 (slashing with a knife).
  • R v N (2017) – Woolwich CC – defending in nationwide drugs conspiracy.
  • R v F (2017) – Southampton CC – representing man with learning difficulties on several indictments alleging sexual misconduct.
  • R v C (2017) – Winchester CC – defending dangerous driving causing serious injury to a child.
  • R v K (2017) – Lewes CC – defending in historic sexual offences case; allegations from when D was just 11.
  • R v R (2016) – Portsmouth CC – D had several disguised  stun guns in his possession; psychiatrists on both sides instructed to examine the effect of a  considerable brain injury.
  • R v R (2016) – Southampton CC – defending in knife point robbery; complainant stabbed and slashed; defence of claim of right.
  • R v P (2016) – Portsmouth CC – defending in large conspiracy to supply cocaine.

Education

  • MA Cantab
  • BVC – Droop award (Lincoln’s Inn 2006)

Inn

  • Lincoln’s Inn

Other

  • Member of the Criminal Bar Association
  • Member of the Western Circuit

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