Matthew Bainbridge | Barrister

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Matthew prosecutes and defends in the Crown Court and has experience of appearing in the High Court. He specialises in criminal law and frequently acts in a range of POCA, civil and regulatory proceedings.

Matthew is often instructed by prosecution agencies such as HMRC, the Environment Agency and local authorities and has successfully represented defendants against a wide range of criminal allegations, including attempted murder.

Before joining Red Lion Chambers in 2015, Matthew worked for a busy criminal law firm and acted for one of the defence teams in the Operation Opaque case (£150 million conspiracy to produce cannabis).

Crime

General CrimeDriving Offences

Matthew prosecutes and defends in serious criminal cases, including those involving allegations of conspiracy and violence.

Examples of Matthew’s work since joining Red Lion Chambers:

R v L & Others – Defended alone in a four-handed attempted murder. L was alleged to have been involved in a stabbing to the throat which severed an artery and caused substantial blood loss. He was acquitted following a three-week trial
R v V & E – Represented the first defendant who was accused of wounding one man and attempting to wound another with intent to cause them GBH. He was acquitted
R v W – Defended a man accused of wounding with intent to cause GBH. W was alleged to have stabbed another in the face as part of a revenge attack. He was acquitted
R v A – Represented a carer accused of ill-treating a resident with advanced cerebral palsy at a care home. A was acquitted
R v H-S & S – Defended in a two-handed armed robbery. H-S had been working as an escort and was accused of robbing one of her clients. She was acquitted

Matthew has experience of defending individuals across the full range of motoring offences. His previous cases include acquittals and successful special reasons/exceptional hardship arguments arising from allegations of driving without insurance, speeding and use of a mobile phone.

Fraud and Financial Crime

Matthew has advised on and appeared in numerous cases involving allegations of fraud and financial crime.

Examples of Matthew’s work since joining Red Lion Chambers:

R v Y & Others – Defended (as led junior) an individual accused of conspiracy to launder £11m through an MSB;
R v A & Others – Defended (as led junior) an individual accused of conspiracy to defraud multiple banks and their customers of over £10m;
R v R & Others – Defended one of three individuals accused of conspiracy to defraud Barclays Bank;
R v B – Defended an individual accused of credit card fraud against John Lewis and various hotel chains in London.

Matthew recently assisted HMRC with a large-scale prosecution of a multi-million pound tax avoidance scheme. Prior to that he worked with the FCA’s enforcement team on a cross-border investigation into alleged breaches of the Money Laundering Regulations 2007.

Professional Disciplinary & Regulatory

Criminal RegulatoryNon-criminal Regulatory

Matthew prosecutes and defends individuals and corporate bodies in criminal regulatory proceedings.

Examples of Matthew’s work since joining Red Lion Chambers:

EA v LA & Others – Disclosure counsel for the Environment Agency in a large-scale prosecution of two waste-disposal companies and their directors
SMDC v S – Prosecuted multiple breaches of a local authority enforcement notice in a case involving complex issues of planning and bankruptcy law. S was convicted

Matthew represents applicants and respondents in non-criminal regulatory proceedings.

Examples of Matthew’s work since joining Red Lion Chambers:

HMRC v RE – Represented HMRC in forfeiture proceedings concerning the prohibited use of “red diesel” in road vehicles. The case settled following negotiations between the parties
Metropolitan Police v CN – Acted for the respondent business in contested closure order proceedings. Following legal argument on the relationship between newly-enacted legislation and Article 8 ECHR, a closure order was made for substantially less time than the applicant had requested

Judicial Review & Civil

Matthew represents claimants and defendants in judicial review and other civil proceedings.

His work since joining Red Lion Chambers has included a judicial review of the court and the police for exercising their cash detention powers in breach of Article 3 ECHR. The High Court made a declaration in the applicant’s favour and remitted the case to the magistrates’ court. Following a further contested hearing, the court ordered a substantial release of funds to the applicant.

Matthew has assisted government departments such as the Home Office and the MOD with contested civil matters, including unlawful detention claims and a multi-million pound professional negligence dispute.

Matthew was also involved in the following cases before joining Red Lion Chambers:

C v Metropolitan Police – Represented the claimant in a civil action against the police relating to the retention of a vehicle in criminal proceedings
RG & AG v Metropolitan Police – Acted for the claimants in a multi-track civil action against the police and related criminal proceedings. The civil action settled following the claimants’ acquittal in the criminal case

Education

BPTC: BPP Law School

LLB (Hons.): University of Liverpool

Memberships

Criminal Bar Association

Inner Temple

South Eastern Circuit

Professional Appointments

CPS Advocate Panel, Level 3

CPS Extradition Panel, Level 1

Awards

Exhibition Award and Duke of Edinburgh Entrance Scholarship: Inner Temple