Edmund Vickers KC
Call: 1993 | Silk: 2017
Personal profile
Edmund Vickers KC is instructed in the most serious criminal cases at Crown Court, High Court and Appellate level. He has recently returned from two years as lead prosecution counsel in a multi-million-pound corruption and money laundering case in the Republic of Seychelles.
Ed is described in the top Legal Directories as:
“A first-class legal mind allied to a very charming and persuasive style.” [Chambers UK]
“Edmund’s preparation in every case is meticulous.” [Legal 500]
“A lawyer with a brilliant brain.” [Chambers UK]
“Edmund’s knowledge of the law is par excellence and coupled with his good judgement achieves excellent results for his clients.” [Legal 500]
“An excellent silk who remains utterly calm at all times” [Chambers UK]
Ed both defends and prosecutes in cases of Murder & Manslaughter, Fraud and Corruption and Serious & Organised Crime cases. His skills in cross-examination, dealing with experts and analysing forensic accounting detail, has led to a growing Business Crime & Fraud practice (Bribery and Corruption, Complex Fraud, Money Laundering & Proceeds of Crime as well as cases before the tax tribunal).
In 2022-24 Ed was instructed by the Anti-Corruption Commission Seychelles to lead the investigation and prosecution of a multi-million-pound corruption and money laundering case, involving senior figures in government over many years. The case involved cooperation with law enforcement agencies in multiple jurisdictions, including the UK, US, Canada, Australia, Switzerland and Singapore. The case will be tried by the Chief Justice in 2025. Ed led the prosecution team of lawyers and investigators for two years, securing a global assets restraint order against the main defendant together with civil confiscation of assets, and led successful litigation in the Supreme Court, Constitutional Court and Court of Appeal. Ed advised on numerous complex issues including mutual legal assistance requests, cross-jurisdictional investigations, legal privilege and digital forensics, as well as issues relating to Constitutional Law, Company Law, Trusts and the beneficial ownership of companies. Ed also presented a paper on multi-jurisdictional cooperation at the International Anti-Corruption Day seminar held in Seychelles in 2022.
Back in the UK, Ed has been asked to advise companies and individuals involved in business, tax and complex fraud investigations, and will advise at an early stage so that strategic decisions can be made involving matters such as voluntary disclosure, Legal Professional Privilege and confidentiality.
Ed has appeared in many high-profile cases particularly at the Old Bailey (murder and organised crime) and Southwark Crown Court (fraud), and has enjoyed success in cases as diverse as defending protesters storming the House of Commons, prosecuting police officers in the Tuition Fees Riot in Parliament Sq, and successfully defending in the UK’s first FGM trial. Ed is instructed by a wide range of solicitors firms and prosecuting authorities and has over 30 years’ experience of advocacy and providing legal advice, both defending and prosecuting, in the UK and internationally.
Ed is a lead advocacy trainer at the Middle Temple and is a member of the scholarship panel at the Inn. He is a trustee and former treasurer of the Kalisher Trust, a charity that encourages and supports students from non-traditional backgrounds to go on to higher education and pursue a career in the law, promoting greater diversity throughout the criminal justice system. He is currently lead trustee of the Kalisher Trust mentoring programme, pairing students with senior members of the Bar and judiciary. In 2023, Ed was elected a Master of the Bench (a member of the governing body) of the Middle Temple Inn of Court in London.
In 2021, Ed chaired the Criminal Bar Association C-21 Working Group, examining issues facing criminal practitioners in the Crown Court. The report was published in January 2022 and called for the establishment of the Royal Commission on Criminal Justice without further delay. [Report]
Recommendations
― Legal 500 2024Edmund has great attention to detail and is forceful and very effective in legal argument. He is a winner.
― Chambers UK (2025)Edmund has a very diverse prosecution and defence practice, excellent preparation and a smooth and persuasive advocacy style.
― Legal 500 (2024)Edmund is very professional even when faced with very high odds. He is a very attractive and effective advocate.
― Chambers UK (2023)Handles cases with great skill even when the odds seem to be stacked against him. He impresses with his courtroom manner and his general approach.
― Legal 500 (2023)Edmund’s preparation in every case is meticulous and he develops a detailed knowledge and understanding of a case from an early stage in the proceedings. He has a calm and measured approach to both his advocacy and when communicating with clients, which instils confidence amongst all that work with him.
― Legal 500 (2022)Edmund is a fine and strong barrister. He is measured, calm and determined. He is a thoughtful and humane operator. Edmund’s knowledge of the law is par excellence and coupled with his good judgement, he achieves excellent results for his clients. His sole focus is the best outcome for his clients.
― Chambers UK (2022)An excellent silk who remains utterly calm at all times. He has a rather understated, polite persona that tends to win judges and juries over.
― Chambers UK (2022)A first-class legal mind allied to a very charming and persuasive style.
― Chambers UK (2021)A lawyer with a brilliant brain.
― Chambers UK (2021)He is a talented advocate who exudes gravitas and authority.
― Legal 500 (2021)He is particular about his preparation and has that talent in silk of taking points that others might dismiss on first blush and pushing them successfully through the style of his advocacy and the confidence of his understanding of the law.
― Legal 500 (2020)He has a first-class legal mind allied to a very charming and persuasive style.
Murder & Manslaughter
Ed regularly appears for either the prosecution or defence in murder cases in London (principally at the Central Criminal Court, the Old Bailey) and around the country. He has particular expertise in cross examining experts in the fields of pathology, histopathology, ballistics and DNA.
He has also advised, pro bono, in capital and non-capital murder cases for death row prisoners seeking to appeal from the West Indies to the Privy Council.
Featured cases
- R v L – Successful defence in a multi-handed murder trial.
- R v W – Instructed for the defence in a murder where the victim was left in a persistent vegetative state and died 13 years after original assault.
- R v M– Instructed for the defence of a gang-member in a Birmingham drive-by shooting.
- R v T– Instructed for the defence of a youth in a London East End gang murder.
- R v S – Successful defence of a vulnerable man accused of murder.
- R v W – Successful defence of a gang/drugs related murder.
- R v H – Successful defence of 14-year-old boy in a murder allegation.
- R v H – Instructed for the defence of wife accused of murdering her husband.
- R v L – Successful defence of a murder in HMP Coldingley.
- R v O – Conspiracy by police officers to pervert the course of justice following an assault on a political protester in Parliament Square.
- R v P – Gang murder/perverting the course of justice.
Serious Violence
Featured cases
Recent notable cases include:
- R v M – Care-worker accused of mentally and psychologically abusing a 90-year-old patient with Alzheimer’s.
- R v O – Conspiracy by police officers to pervert the course of justice following an assault on a political protester in Parliament Square.
- R v A – Successful defence of an Islington gang murder/conspiracy to cause GBH by a gang armed with knives.
- R v C – The Aylesbury YOI prison mutiny.
- R v H – Successful prosecution of a gang of youths armed with various weapons and a dog, committing
robberies on Wandsworth Common. - R v F – Conspiracy to commit armed robberies.
Sexual Offences
Ed is often instructed in the most serious Sexual Offences cases, including ‘date rape’, paedophilia and incest. He is a specialist in cases involving vulnerable witnesses, especially those with learning or mental health difficulties and is a lead advocacy trainer for The Inns of Court College of Advocacy (handling vulnerable witnesses) and at the Middle Temple. He has particular expertise in cross examining experts on DNA, as well as psychiatrists and psychologists about mental health issues and defences.
Featured cases
- R v W – Successful prosecution of historical rape and other offences by a former football coach.
- R v T – Successful prosecution of historical sex abuse by a former football coach.
- R v D and H – Successfully defended in first FGM trial in the UK.
- R v A – Successfully defended in a human trafficking case in which a woman was accused of trying to smuggle a ten-year-old girl into the country.
- R v B – Successfully prosecuted a serial sex offender for 23 offences of rape and child abuse committed against eight victims (including family members) over 30 years.
- R v J – Old Bailey internet paedophile making arrangements for child abuse.
- R v W – Oxford CC. Deputy head teacher accused of grooming an underage male pupil for sex.
- R v S – Blackfriars CC. Hospital care assistant accused of raping and abusing patients with MS and muscular dystrophy.
- R v C – Grandfather accused of raping his granddaughter.
- R v A – Father accused of raping his daughter.
Serious & Organised Crime
Ed has been instructed in a series of high profile organised crime cases.
Featured cases
- R v R – Successfully defended in a 12-handed conspiracy to supply Class A drugs in the Midlands and West Yorkshire.
- R v W – Successfully prosecuted five defendants in a large scale conspiracy to supply firearms to the criminal underworld in South London.
- R v N – Series of armed robberies of bookmakers.
- R v W – Successfully defended in a large scale conspiracy to launder drugs money.
- R v S – Successful prosecution of conspiracy to steal copper wiring from railways/London Underground by Eastern European gangs.
- R v T – £1.75m armed robbery of secure currency warehouse at Heathrow Airport.
Fraud
Ed is regularly instructed in complex fraud cases, where focussed preparation, the martialling of large amounts of material and early, detailed analysis of the central issues are critical.
Ed has also been privately instructed to prosecute numerous trademark fraud cases at the Magistrates Court.
Featured cases
- R v P and others – Successful Insolvency Service prosecution of multi handed ‘long firm fraud’.
- R v D and others – Successful prosecution of money laundering operation through bureau de change.
- R v C – Successfully led for prosecution in £1.2m EU grants fraud administered by the Home Office.
- R v D – Successfully led for prosecution in a seven-handed £10m money laundering case.
- R v S – £500k advance fees fraud in mobile phone industry.
- R v O – Abuse of trust fraud by a carer, persuading two clients to make her the main beneficiary of their Wills, whilst systematically stealing from their accounts.
- R v P – Sophisticated £200k art fraud in which pictures by Warhol, Kitaj and Munch were allegedly copied and sold at auction.
- R v F – Identity fraud involving the setting up of false bank accounts by a bank employee.
- R v P – £5m business rates fraud by council employee.
- R v B – £300k fees fraud by an insurance broker.
Proceeds of Crime and Confiscation
Ed has vast experience in money laundering and confiscation cases and is particularly familiar with its complexities.
Featured cases
- Anti-Corruption Commission Seychelles v MV and others – prosecuting a complex corruption and money laundering case, involving international asset restraint and civil forfeiture.
- R v D and others – leading for the prosecution in a seven-handed £10m money laundering case.
- R v W and others – Large scale conspiracy to launder millions of pounds of drugs money and mortgage fraud.
- R v M – Money laundering profits from internet escort agencies.
- HMRC v K & K – Money lending and money bureau fraud – conspiracy to launder millions of pounds through MSBs.
- R v M and others – £500k fraud against charities such as Comic Relief and BBC Children in Need.
- R v S and S – High-profile London City Bond cases, involving massive scale money laundering. Led by two KCs.
Terrorism
Ed has some experience in this field having appeared in cases of international arms dealing and money laundering linked to terrorism. Ed has trained CT prosecutors in Africa on behalf of the UN and DFID.
Financial Services Regulation
Ed’s years of experience in fraud cases, his expertise in cross-examining experts including forensic accountants, fraud investigators and auditors, together with his ability to identify central issues and solutions, allow him to bring invaluable skills to such cases.
He is experienced in advising and acting on Appeals before the Tax Tribunal (he has been instructed in appeals to the First Tier and Upper Tier Tribunals (Tax) and the Court of Appeal), regulatory/disciplinary tribunals and Financial Services Regulation.
Featured cases
- AE Ltd v Commissioners for HMRC – £1.2m VAT appeal.
- R Ltd v Commissioners for HMRC – £8.9m VAT appeal.
- NB v General Pharmaceutical Council.
- R v F – Instructed in an appeal against a conviction involving contempt of court by juror. The case involved an exhaustive enquiry by the Criminal Cases Review Commission, after a successful application to the Lord Chief Justice.
- R v T – The court overturned the conviction based on an alleged cell confession.
Inquests & Inquiries
Ed is available for instruction in public inquiry work and coroners’ inquests. He has successfully represented a numismatist in a rare case of a jury inquest into treasure trove and his knowledge of cross examining experts and vulnerable witnesses is well suited to public enquiry work. Moreover, his negotiations with government ministers and civil servants on behalf of the criminal Bar and his involvement in preparing CBA responses to government consultations has provided him with an invaluable insight into examining and challenging government decision-making.
Featured cases
- R v F – Instructed in this appeal against conviction involving contempt of court by a juror. The case involved an exhaustive enquiry by the Criminal Cases Review Commission, after a successful application to the Lord Chief Justice.
- R v T – The Court overturned this conviction based on alleged cell confession.
Professional appointments
- Advocate of the Republic of Seychelles
Memberships
- CBA
- South Eastern Circuit
- Trustee and Treasurer of The Kalisher Trust – A legal charity established to encourage students from non-traditional backgrounds to develop advocacy skills and to assist them pursue a career in criminal law.
Publications
- Rule of Law/Human Rights/Codes of Conduct, a presentation to DPP of Nigeria and counter-terrorism prosecutors
- Lead facilitator at UN conference on counter-terrorism investigations and prosecutions in Nigeria
- Lecturer, RLC Lecture Series on prosecutions brought by the Serious Fraud Office
- Trainer re handling vulnerable witnesses for Advocacy Training Council/Inns of Court College of Advocacy
- Advocacy Trainer for The Advocacy Training Council/Inns of Court College of Advocacy
- Advocacy Trainer for Middle Temple
- Scholarship Panel for Middle Temple
- Ed has written articles for The Times, Counsel Magazine and Archbold News, and is regularly asked to provide opinion pieces on legal issues that arise in the news.
- Corker and Young on Abuse of Process, contributing editor
- In 2020-21, Ed chaired the CBA Working Group on the Criminal Justice System, which produced a report on issues facing practitioners in the Crown Court. Report