As a specialist CPS rape and serious sexual offences advocate, Felicia has significant experience prosecuting and defending the most serious and sensitive sexual cases. These include multi-complainant cases often alleging historic sexual abuse and those involving very young or vulnerable witnesses.

Felicia has undertaken specialist training in the use of intermediaries and is skilled in the handling of vulnerable witnesses of all ages in court.

• Op Bream (2018 – ongoing) Instructed by CPS complex crime unit initially as sole counsel to advise on allegations of institutional historic sexual abuse dating back to 1960s/1970s. Case involves allegations from multiple, vulnerable complainants. Extensive disclosure exercise due to linked police investigations conducted more recently.
• R v Talbot-Bailey (2016) Prosecuted a 5-child (ages 6-14) complainant case involving allegations of child rape and child cruelty. Case involved extensive use of intermediary.
• R v Stannard and Stannard (2016) Junior prosecution counsel in a 6-complainant case involving historic sexual offences and child cruelty dating back to the 50s, 60s and 70s.  Case involved use of intermediary.
• R v Joseph and Joseph (2015) Junior prosecution counsel in a 9-complainant case involving historic allegations of rape, unlawful sexual intercourse and child cruelty.
• R v SH (2015-6) Successfully defended multiple counts of rape, sexual penetration and sexual assault.
• R v FC (2014-15) Prosecuted doctor charged with sexually assaulting male patients suffering from erectile dysfunction and related complaints.

Felicia has extensive experience of cases involving alleged organised crime groups (OCG) in relation to drugs importation and supply; immigration conspiracies on a commercial scale and for the trafficking of females; international money laundering; and conspiracies to steal and to rob. In 2012, she was appointed a Specialist Serious and Organised Crime advocate.

• R v UR and others (2019) Defended (sole counsel) in case concerning alleged international money-laundering OGC in which legitimate commercial debts were acquired in Pakistan and Dubai as cover for approx. £2M proceeds of crime being laundered through hundreds of designated UK bank accounts. Complex investigation and evidential matrix involving various heads of expert evidence, including international money laundering methodology, Hawala banking; cell site evidence; directed surveillance; substantial banking evidence relied upon in tandem with mobile phone/cell site evidence.
• R v K and others (2019) Successfully defended male charged with being party to organised money laundering operation in which more than £2M in cash was removed from the UK.
• R v P and others (2019) Defended alleged “upstream supplier” in largescale conspiracy concerning 200Kg+ commercial supply of cannabis in South Wales.
• R v JI and others (2015-2016) Successfully defended as leading junior the alleged main protagonist in a complex sham marriage conspiracy concerning Slovakian females trafficked into the UK to marry non-EU males living in the Rochdale area who sought leave to remain.
• R v Sanchez and others (2015-2016) (Special Casework prosecution). Defended alleged OCG member of a Manchester drugs gang which supplied Class A drugs across south east England.
• R v HSM (2008-2012) (SOCA prosecution). Defence junior in trilogy of cases: conspiracy to import cocaine and heroin; associated money laundering and mortgage fraud.
• R v M and others (2009-2011) (SOCA prosecution). Successfully defended complex, multi-handed money laundering conspiracies involving the theft and subsequent conversion/laundering of £15m stolen from a German bank by international OCG.

Over the past 10 years, Felicia has been instructed to defend or assist in a number of high profile murder cases, frequently involving complex evidential issues.  In addition, Felicia is frequently instructed in multi-handed gang-related cases involving cut-throat defences, kidnap, false imprisonment and torture.  Significant cases in that period include:

• R v MC (2019) Instructed as sole counsel, successfully defended 26 year old farmer charged with the murder/manslaughter of a co-worker involved in a confrontation with a third party. Case involved the calling of extensive expert evidence including, pathologists, neuropathologists and agricultural expert (re hazards of slurry pits and slurry waste).
• R v IP and other (2018) Successfully defended (led by Kate Bex QC) allegations of murder/manslaughter in relation to a female washed up in the River Wye. Case involved extensive expert evidence, including diatoms, pathology and cell site experts. Legal argument re admissibility of covert surveillance not previously disclosed; and evidence obtained mid trial from co-defendant turned Queen’s Evidence including alleged partial confession by IP.
• R v AS and others (2018) Defended (led by David Etherington QC) allegation of brutal revenge gang murder within the Romanian community.
• R v SO Successfully defended D charged with stabbing his father in law to death in front of his wife:  expert psychiatric evidence on diminished responsibility and loss of control. (Def Jnr)
• R v Aulakh and others Husband alleged to have arranged and taken part in his wife’s murder.  (Def Jnr)
• R v Bhayani, Kutner, Eastham and others Murder of a wealthy business woman whose body was dismembered and found in the boot of a lock up in south west London.  (Jnr alone)
• R v Kulkonovs Cut throat murder involving significant expert forensic issues. (Def Jnr)
• R v A and others Successfully defended husband alleged to have killed and set fire to his wife’s body.  Sole and decisive hearsay evidence excluded.  (Def jnr)
• R v L Successfully defended D alleged to have bludgeoned his partner to death before setting fire to her body whilst her two children slept upstairs.   (Def jnr)
• R v B Successfully defended youth charged with murder allegedly by stabbing the deceased twice before seeking to dispose of the knife.  (Def jnr).

Felicia has acted in a number of cases concerning allegations of death by dangerous driving, frequently involving technical expert evidence and difficult tactical decisions.

• R v IM & others (2019) Defended (Leading Junior) in multi-handed case involving allegations of Human Trafficking of females and transgender females, Controlling Prostitution for Gain and Supplying Class A Drugs. Case involved extensive cross-examination of vulnerable witnesses over international live link; issues of cross-contamination/collusion between complainants. Case complicated by virtue of joint investigation between British and Bulgarian authorities.
• R v C (2017) Prosecuted allegations of modern day slavery (servitude and forced labour).
• R v JI and others (2015-16) Successful defence as leading junior of alleged main orchestrator of a complex sham marriage conspiracy concerning Slovakian females trafficked into the UK in a mail order type system to marry non-EU males living in the Rochdale area seeking leave to remain.

Felicia has a wealth of experience both prosecuting and defending cases concerning serious fraud where a mastery of the facts and attention to detail are key. She is adept at preparing and presenting cases involving voluminous and complex financial material; complex corporate structures; multiple off-shore or jurisdictional bank accounts and entities through which alleged fraudulent funds are passed. Felicia is used to working closely with the entire case team in such cases, providing ongoing advice on all aspects of case presentation and management.

Since 2009 Felicia has been appointed to the SFO’s specialist panel of advocates and more recently to the CPS specialist Fraud Panel.

Given the nature of her practice, almost all the cases in which she is instructed involve POCA related issues, including restraint, cash seizure and/or complex confiscation proceedings.

• Op Mickey (2018-ongoing) Prosecution junior (led by Collingwood Thompson QC) instructed by complex crime unit in multimillion pound “crash for cash” conspiracy to defraud, fraudulent trading, money laundering and perverting the course of justice. Allegations concern hundreds of fraudulent motor insurance claims in which a complex web of companies was set up as a vehicle for fraud between 2009-2016 in order to exploit claims arising from RTAs, with each company having its own focus on accident management, recovery and storage or hire of vehicles. These companies charged insurance companies for their services in addition to fraudulent personal injury claims. The money received was ultimately diverted away from the companies and largely laundered through property owned by the defendants and/or their relatives. Subsequent attempts were allegedly made to divert funds away from restrained bank accounts into new accounts held by third parties supported by false invoices.
• R v BP (2017) Currently instructed in complex VAT and tax fraud arising out of the sale of novel psychoactive substances or “legal highs” involving legal argument on the interpretation of the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 and “high value dealers”. (Def Jnr)
• R v J and others (2013-2015) (SFO Pros. Jnr) Multi-handed conspiracy to make corrupt payments to Nigerian Tax officials on behalf of multinational company providing manpower to the gas/oil industry worldwide. Appeal on a point of law (meaning of corruptly for the purpose of s.1 Prevention of Corruption Act 1906) [2014] 1 Cr App R 21.
• R v SD and others (2012-2014) (Operation Savate): Successful defence in one of the largest CIS/construction VAT frauds. (Def Jnr).
• R v JM and others (2012) Successfully defended complex allegations of insider dealing/money laundering brought by the FCA:  legal argument as to jurisdictional ambit of insider dealing legislation. (Jnr alone prosecuted by QC/Jnr)
• R v MKN and others (2011-2012) (Operation Inertia) – Defence junior in one of the largest HMRC VAT/MTIC frauds with alleged loss to the Revenue of over £120m.
• R v Bajwa and others (2011) Guideline confiscation case as to the interpretation of the lifestyle provisions under POCA. Successful appeal to CACD resulting in multi-million pound confiscation order being quashed: [2011] EWCA Crim 1093 (Def Jnr).