Call: 1995

Samantha Leigh has a mixed criminal law practice of both prosecution and defence work. She covers all areas of the criminal law, with particular experience of fraud, offences involving violence and sexual offences. However, since the onset of Operation Ore, she has been heavily committed to a series of cases involving the downloading of illegal material. Operation Ore was instigated by law enforcement authorities in the USA into the use of a web site to access pornography. Credit card details were supplied to the UK police, so that UK offenders could be identified and she was instructed to advise the Police and CPS on the investigation and presentation of evidence.

Samantha has defended and prosecuted, as junior counsel, in a large number of major cases including murders, rapes and frauds. She is on the Attorney General's List of Prosecution Counsel, and has undertaken the course for Serious Sexual Offences as required by the CPS and has been monitored as per the Crowns requirements.

She has also prosecuted on behalf of the Department of Work and Pensions.

Notable cases:

2008. R v Newman and ors, a Court of Appeal case that involved the question of how to deal with lesser offences revealed during the course of the trial that have not been included on the indictment. It was held that it within the judge’s discretion to decide whether the jury may convict.

March 2009 R v Fines, successfully defended an attempted murder with the defence of insanity

October 2009. Samantha prosecuted a man compared to Josef Fritzl who sexual abused his daughter over a 33-year period and fathered two of her children.

Lecturing

She organises an annual Criminal Justice Course for visiting American summer students. As well as compiling the course content, she also lectures to the students on aspects of the Criminal Justice System. In addition Samantha is involved in the assessing of HCA advocates.

Criminal Bar Association
East Anglian Bar Mess
Essex Bar Mess
South Eastern Bar Mess