Dominic Bell, Barrister

Dominic Bell has practised exclusively in criminal litigation for the last 19 years and appears exclusively for the defence.

Year of call: 1992

Biography

Dominic's practice is that of serious crime and he now invariably leads. However if a case merits Queen’s Counsel he likes to have some input into selecting the leader using his extensive experience in choosing the right silk for the case. Dominic’s particular areas of experience include:

Terrorism
Homicide
Drugs
Fraud
Commercial Crime
Sexual Offences
HM Revenue & Customs

Many of his cases have an international dimension and he is very keen to assist his instructing solicitors in the gathering of evidence in foreign jurisdictions. In the last 2 years, Dominic has travelled to Colombia, Barbados, St Lucia, India, Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates.

Dominic has a real passion for fairness and has a reputation for being a fighter who is not afraid to pursue his client’s case utterly fearlessly, both in and out of Court. He has a particular interest in prosecution disclosure, or the lack of it, always being determined to ensure that prosecutors properly comply with their duty.

Dominic is a fearless cross-examiner which was best demonstrated over the course of three trials in 2010 as leading counsel for the main defendant in Operation Retriever (the media-dubbed ‘Pakistani child groomers’). His client was acquitted of 8 rapes, several false imprisonments and sexual assaults. The case attracted a considerable amount of publicity both nationally and internationally, most of it inaccurate. His client, Abad Siddique was acquitted of all counts in trial 2 and all of the serious counts in trial 3. The convictions from trial 1 are the subject of an application for leave to appeal.

He is currently appearing for the 1st defendant in a £50m MTIC fraud (with Henry Blaxland QC). His next case is appearing with Stephen Solley QC for the main defendant in the notorious ‘Confidential Access’ case.

He has particular experience in prosecutions and restraint proceedings brought by HM Customs and Excise (now HM Revenue and Customs)

His real skill is in understanding complex factual issues and identifying what the important issues are in a case thus identifying the battle ground for the trial.

He has appeared for the defence in Operation Vivace (the 21st of July bombings) and Operation Overamp (alleged weapons training) where he was leading Counsel.

He has lectured solicitors on the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

MURDER

R v Williams – Liverpool Crown Court (Led junior. Murder, Conspiracy to Murder, Conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, Conspiracy to possess firearms with intent to endanger life. For one of 10 defendants in the Manchester ‘Gooch’ gangland trial)

R v Soto-Mendoza – Central Criminal Court (Murder. Representing the Military Attache at the Colombian Embassy. Issues of Diplomatic Immunity)

R v Justin – Central Criminal Court (Led junior. Murder, radicalised schoolboy who killed randomly at a bus stop. Diagnosis of PTSD, following investigation as to defendant’s upbringing in St Lucia)

R v Bains – Central Criminal Court (Led junior. Murder 5 defendants. Dumped body on the common, cut-throat defence)

R v Clarke – Central Criminal Court (Led junior. Murder, attempted murder 6 defendants, cut-throat defence)

R v Samuels – Central Criminal Court (Led junior. Murder of defendant’s sister. Defendant relocated to the UK from Montserrat following the volcano eruption on the island)

DRUGS

R v Phillips – Winchester Crown Court (Conspiracy to supply cocaine)

R v Morales – Bristol Crown Court (Leading junior. Conspiracy to supply cocaine. Defendant suffered from frequent epilectic seizures, fitness to be tried issues, abuse of process)

R v Quinn – Sheffield Crown Court (Leading junior. Conspiracies to supply cocaine, ecstasy, and cannabis)

R v Puentas – Blackfriars Crown Court (Conspiracy to import cocaine from Costa Rica)

R v McQueenie – Kingston Crown Court (Leading junior. Conspiracy to import cocaine from the Caribbean and manufacture crack cocaine [largest ever seizure of crack])

R v Scott – Kingston Crown Court (Leading junior. Conspiracy to import cocaine, conspiracy to launder the proceeds of crime. Cut-throat defence)

R v Telez-Torres – Blackfriars Crown Court (Conspiracy to supply cocaine in Colombian nightclub)

R v Orton – Derby Crown Court (Conspiracy to supply cocaine)

R v Moss – Leicester Crown Court (Conspiracy to supply cocaine)

TERRORISM

R v Al-Figari – Woolwich Crown Court (Leading junior. Attending terrorist training camps – Operation Overamp- trial of a radical preacher who organised terrorist training camps in the New Forest and Cumbria)

R v Wahbi Mohammed – Kingston Crown Court (Led junior. Part 2 of Operation Vivace, the 21/7 tube bombings)

MTIC FRAUD / MONEY LAUNDERING

R v Hamza (Laundering the proceeds of various mortgage frauds [£3.5m] in Dubai. Evidence gathered in Lagos, Nigeria, and Dubai)

R v BC (Alleged £50m MTIC fraud)

R v X (Restraint proceedings – Assets in the UK and Dubai, substantial resistance to the Court Appointed Receiver’s ‘liquidation’ of assets)

R v Y (VAT carousel fraud)

R v Z (VAT carousel fraud)

R v Martinez-Diaz – Southwark Crown Court (Leading junior. Conspiracy to convert the proceeds of crime)

RAPE

A wealth of experience in rape trials having defended in approximately 20, covering marital rape, date rape, gang rape, grooming and stranger rape.

R v Laxmidas (Notable for the mental health issues as the defendant claimed he received his instructions from Lucifer as he carried out the actus reus)

‘Operation Retriever’ Leading counsel for main defendant, Abad Siddique, in three trials. Concluded January 2011. Described as the most serious case of its type, involving 27 complainants. Mr Siddique was acquitted of more than two thirds of the original indictment. The convictions are subject to appeal.

telephone: +44 (0)20 7427 4400
fax: +44 (0)20 7427 4427
email: clerk@1itl.com
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