Carey Johnston QC started with a general common law practice, and now specialises in criminal work, both prosecution and defence.
Her prosecution experience as a junior, and more recently in silk, includes being instructed :
- since 1989 by the SFO in cases including mortgage frauds, bills of exchange,
- insolvency, re-insurance, fraudulent trading; recently appointed to SFO Silks list
- since 1986 by RCPO in cases involving large-scale drugs importations, VAT fraud, Excise duty fraud, income tax self assessment fraud and related confiscation proceedings
- by CPS (Central Casework, Fraud Prosecution Service (as it then was), Revenue & Customs Division and Branch level) in cases involving murder, serious sexual offences (both historical and recent), serious offences of violence, kidnapping and false imprisonment, blackmail, firearms, large-scale drugs conspiracies, conspiracies to defraud, income tax fraud, corruption, money laundering, death by dangerous driving.
She has also been instructed in a variety of cases for the defence, including attempted murder, robbery, drugs, serious violence, sexual offences (including historical), fraud, money laundering, death by dangerous driving.
Through the variety of her work, she has wide experience of PII issues, disclosure and LPP issues. She is experienced in the calling and cross-examining of expert witnesses across a range of topics and in the calling and cross-examining of young and/or vulnerable witnesses, including those with mental health disabilities.
She has also been involved in education and facilitation, having been a tutor at Warwick University and University College London, a facilitator for the Criminal Bar Association and one of a group of members of chambers that has presented workshops on the Human Rights Act to lawyers from the former RCPO.
Representative Cases
R. v. K and others (2009/2010, on going) Croydon CC [prosecuting (instructed by RCPO now CPS – Revenue and Customs Division) : allegations of cheating in relation to repayment claims for overpaid income tax]
R. v. D and another (2009) Croydon CC [prosecuting (instructed by RCPO) : allegations of cheating in relation repayment claims for overpaid tax under the Income Tax Self Assessment scheme].
R. v. I and others (2008/2009) Croydon CC [prosecuting (instructed by what was then the CPS – Fraud Prosecuting Service) : 11-handed conspiracy to defraud in relation to banks and other financial institutions].
R. v. H and others (2008) Central CC [prosecuting : murder, false imprisonment, robbery, assault and witness intimidation].
R. v. F and J (2008) Central CC [prosecuting : murder and perverting the course of justice].
R. v. C and others (2007 Ipswich CC [prosecuting : 10-handed conspiracy with evidence from undercover officers – Class A drugs].
R. v. R and others (2007) Woolwich CC [prosecuting : supply of Class A drugs and firearms]
R. v. O (2007) Southwark CC [prosecuting : money laundering case which was largely dependent on evidence obtained from and witnesses coming from Nigeria].
R. v. F and F (2006) Southwark CC [prosecuting (instructed by SFO) : fraudulent trading arising out of misuse of client account funds (about £5m) in relation to probate].
R. v. L and others (2005) Derby CC [defending : money laundering and conspiracy to defraud]
R. v. C and others (2004) Cardiff CC [prosecuting (instructed by RCPO) : 7-handed large scale Class A drugs importation with evidence obtained from and witnesses called from both Guyana and Jamaica].
R. v. M and others (2003) Snaresbrook CC [prosecuting : Class A drugs possession with intent to supply involving dual investigation by the Scottish Drugs Enforcement Agency and the Metropolitan Police, which raised disclosure issues arising from the difference jurisdictions].
R. v. E (2002) Wood Green CC [prosecuting : rape on vulnerable adult with severe learning disabilities and communication difficulties. This was prior to the use of intermediaries].
Case of Particular Note
R v O (22.04.2007; Southwark Crown Court):
A high-value money laundering trial in which the defendant was convicted of laundering £1.4 million of public funds which had been earmarked for projects for the people of Plateau State, Nigeria. The allegation was that the funds had been diverted by the then Governor of Plateau State. The defendant, who was a friend of the State Governor, laundered the money through a large number of her own bank accounts. Monies later recovered in confiscation proceedings have been re-patriated to the Nigerian Government.
This conviction was one of the first achieved by a specialist unit known as the International Corruption Group, specifically created to investigate the laundering of criminal funds in London by corrupt overseas officials and part-funded by the Department of International Development. Much of the evidence was obtained from Nigeria and a number of witnesses travelled from that country to give evidence.
