Personal profile
Felicia Davy is ranked in the 2019, 2020 and 2021 editions of the Legal 500 as a leading junior for both Crime and Business Crime & Fraud matters. She is recognised as a skilled and versatile advocate whose practice encompasses Fraud and Restraint, Civil Recovery & Confiscation, as well as heavyweight crime including Murder & Manslaughter and serious Sexual Offences (often historic, multi-complainant).
She has considerable experience of handling all manner of witnesses and is approved as a trainer in the handling of vulnerable witnesses. She is also used to defending in cases in which cut-throat defences or conflicts arise.
Felicia has been appointed to a number of specialist panels and is frequently instructed on behalf of a number of specialist government departments and regulatory bodies. Often instructed pre-charge, Felicia is regularly required to provide advice on charge, disclosure management and general case strategy from an early stage. She is adept at managing and presenting paper heavy cases, often involving complex financial material.
Felicia has appeared before the divisional and appellate courts in a number of key appeals in relation to abuse of process, Restraint, Civil Recovery & Confiscation and Bribery & Corruption. She has also appeared before regulatory tribunals representing individuals facing disciplinary offences and before the companies court on behalf of liquidators in cases where suspected fraudulent conduct and/or breaches of the Insolvency Act are alleged.
Felicia also advises individual and corporate clients concerning discrete issues such as directors’ disqualification and regulatory compliance.
Felicia’s wide range of work has given her experience in a number of areas of law, ranging from the deployment of complex legal argument, abuse of process, the applicability of local and foreign domestic laws, RIPA and autrefois acquit through to bad character, PII, LPP, non-disclosure and human rights. She is also skilled in handling cases involving forensic and expert evidence (including cell site analysis and call data, forensic, footwear tread pattern, DNA, blood distribution and splatter evidence, firearms evidence, CCTV continuity) as well as pathology, neuro-pathology and psychiatric expert evidence (diminished responsibility).
In her Fraud practice Felicia is skilled in handling matters concerning corporate and financial structures, including international and multiple off-shore or jurisdictional bank accounts and entities.
Recommendations
Felicia can master voluminous cases and can identify the important issues with ease. She has a pleasant rapport with clients. Her advocacy is persuasive and demonstrates her competence with her legal knowledge and through understanding of her cases.
― Legal 500 (2024)
On her feet, Felicia is a fearless and commanding advocate. She is intense and committed and juries and clients love her. She is focussed on what needs to be done and is excellent at communicating and delegating as necessary.
― Legal 500 (2024)
A pleasure to work with and always on hand to offer advice.
― Chambers UK (2023)
Felicia can master voluminous cases and can identify the important issues with ease. She has a pleasant rapport with clients. Her advocacy is persuasive and demonstrates her competence with her legal knowledge and through understanding of her cases.
― Legal 500 (2023)
Felicia is a fearless, tenacious and very persuasive advocate.
― Legal 500 (2023)
A hard-working and measured barrister.
― Chambers UK (2022)
A skilful, credible and cogent advocate who leaves no stone unturned in her case preparation.
― Chambers UK (2022)
A ‘go to’ junior for fraud
― Chambers UK (2022)
Entirely unflappable in court
― Chambers UK (2022)
Felicia is extremely bright and talented. She is an all rounded counsel who clients love. Felicia is well respected and sought after and has an erring ability to work out the issues in a case with diligence and speed.
― Legal 500 (2022)
Clever, subtle and charming. No detail is missed by her.
― Chambers UK (2021)
A go-to junior for serious fraud cases.
― Legal 500 (2021)
A first-class junior. Very thorough and organised. Good with her leader to whom she will give the best possible solutions to any issue in the trial. I found her refreshingly independent minded and an able and nerveless advocate. She takes her role as counsel very seriously and forms excellent working relationships with solicitors and clients
― Legal 500 (2021)
A skilful, credible and cogent advocate who leaves no stone unturned in her case preparation.
― Legal 500 (2020)
Entirely unflappable in court.
― Legal 500 (2020)
Sexual Offences
As a specialist CPS rape and serious Sexual Offences advocate, Felicia has significant experience prosecuting and defending the most serious and sensitive sexual cases. These include multi-complainant cases often alleging historic sexual abuse and those involving very young or vulnerable witnesses.
Felicia has undertaken specialist training in the use of intermediaries and is skilled in the handling of vulnerable witnesses of all ages in court.
Featured cases
- Op Bream (2018 – ongoing) – Instructed by CPS complex crime unit initially as sole counsel to advise on allegations of institutional historic sexual abuse dating back to 1960s/1970s. This case involves allegations from multiple, vulnerable complainants. There was an extensive disclosure exercise due to linked police investigations conducted more recently.
- R v T-B (2016) – Instructed to prosecute a five-child-complainant case (ages six-14), involving allegations of child rape and child cruelty. The case involved extensive use of intermediaries.
- R v S and S (2016) – Instructed as junior prosecution counsel in a six-complainant case involving historic sexual offences and child cruelty dating back to the 50s, 60s and 70s. The case involved use of an intermediary.
- R v J and J (2015) – Instructed as junior prosecution counsel in a nine-complainant case involving historic allegations of rape, unlawful sexual intercourse and child cruelty.
- R v SH (2015-2016) – Successfully defended multiple counts of rape, sexual penetration and sexual assault.
- R v FC (2014-2015) – Instructed to prosecute a doctor charged with sexually assaulting male patients suffering from erectile dysfunction and related complaints.
Serious & Organised Crime
Felicia has extensive experience of cases involving alleged organised crime groups (OCG) in relation to drugs importation and supply, immigration conspiracies on a commercial scale (and for the trafficking of females), international money laundering, and conspiracies to steal and to rob. In 2012, she was appointed a specialist serious and organised crime advocate.
Featured cases
- R v UR and others (2019) – Instructed to defend (sole counsel) in this case concerning an alleged international money-laundering OGC, in which legitimate commercial debts were acquired in Pakistan and Dubai as cover for approximately £2m proceeds of crime, being laundered through hundreds of designated UK bank accounts. This was a complex investigation and evidential matrix involving various heads of expert evidence, including international money laundering methodology, Hawala banking, cell site evidence, directed surveillance and substantial banking evidence being relied upon in tandem with mobile phone/cell site evidence.
- R v K and others (2019) – Successfully defended a male charged with being party to an organised money laundering operation, in which more than £2m in cash was removed from the UK.
- R v P and others (2019) – Instructed to defend an alleged “upstream supplier” in a large-scale conspiracy concerning the commercial supply of more than 200kg cannabis in South Wales.
- R v JI and others (2015-2016) – Successfully defended, as leading junior, the alleged main protagonist in a complex sham marriage conspiracy concerning Slovakian females, trafficked into the UK to marry non-EU males living in the Rochdale area, who sought leave to remain.
- R v S and others (2015-2016) – A Special Case Work prosecution. Instructed to defend the alleged OCG member of a Manchester drugs gang which supplied Class A drugs across south east England.
- R v HSM (2008-2012) – A SOCA prosecution. Instructed as defence junior in a trilogy of cases involving conspiracy to import cocaine and heroin as well as associated money laundering and mortgage fraud.
- R v M and others (2009-2011) – A SOCA prosecution. Successfully defended complex, multi-handed money laundering conspiracies involving the theft and subsequent conversion/laundering of £15m, stolen from a German bank by an international OCG.
Murder & Manslaughter
Over the past 10 years Felicia has been instructed to defend or assist in a number of high profile murder cases, frequently involving complex evidential issues. In addition, Felicia is frequently instructed in multi-handed gang-related cases involving cut-throat defences, kidnap, false imprisonment and torture.
Featured cases
- R v MC (2019) – Instructed as sole counsel and successfully defended a 26-year-old farmer charged with the murder/manslaughter of a co-worker involved in a confrontation with a third party. This case involved the calling of extensive expert evidence including, pathologists, neuropathologists and agricultural experts (concerning hazards of slurry pits and slurry waste).
- R v IP and other (2018) – Successfully defended (led by Kate Bex QC) allegations of murder/manslaughter in relation to a female washed up in the River Wye. The case involved extensive expert evidence, including diatoms, pathology and cell site experts. There was legal argument concerning the admissibility of covert surveillance not previously disclosed and evidence obtained mid-trial from a co-defendant turned Queen’s Evidence, including an alleged partial confession by IP.
- R v AS and others (2018) – Instructed to defend (led by David Etherington QC) an allegation of a brutal revenge gang murder within the Romanian community.
- R v SO – Successfully defended a defendant charged with stabbing his father-in-law to death in front of his wife. This case involved expert psychiatric evidence on diminished responsibility and loss of control.
- R v A and others – Instructed as defence junior in this case concerning a husband alleged to have arranged and taken part in his wife’s murder.
- R v B, K, E and others – Instructed as junior alone in this murder of a wealthy business woman whose body was dismembered and found in the boot of a lock up in south west London.
- R v K – Instructed as defence junior in this case concerning a cut throat murder, involving significant expert forensic issues.
- R v A and others – Successfully defended a husband alleged to have killed and set fire to his wife’s body. Sole and decisive hearsay evidence excluded.
- R v L – Successfully defended a defendant alleged to have bludgeoned his partner to death before setting fire to her body whilst her two children slept upstairs.
- R v B – Successfully defended a youth charged with murder allegedly by stabbing the deceased twice before seeking to dispose of the knife.
Road Traffic Offences
Felicia has acted in a number of cases concerning allegations of death by dangerous driving, frequently involving technical expert evidence and difficult tactical decisions.
Human Trafficking
Featured cases
- R v IM & others (2019) – Instructed as leading defence junior in this multi-handed case involving allegations of human trafficking of females and transgender females, controlling prostitution for gain and supplying Class A drugs. The case involved extensive cross-examination of vulnerable witnesses over international live link as well as issues of cross-contamination/collusion between complainants. The case was complicated by virtue of being a joint investigation between British and Bulgarian authorities.
- R v C (2017) – Instructed to prosecute allegations of modern day slavery (servitude and forced labour).
- R v JI and others (2015-2016) – Successful defence as leading junior of alleged main orchestrator of a complex sham marriage conspiracy concerning Slovakian females trafficked into the UK in a mail order type system to marry non-EU males living in the Rochdale area seeking leave to remain.
Fraud
Felicia has a wealth of experience both prosecuting and defending cases concerning serious fraud, where a mastery of the facts and attention to detail are key. She is adept at preparing and presenting cases involving voluminous and complex financial material, complex corporate structures, multiple off-shore or jurisdictional bank accounts and entities through which alleged fraudulent funds are passed.
Felicia is used to working closely with the entire case team in such cases, providing ongoing advice on all aspects of case presentation and management.
Since 2009 Felicia has been appointed to the SFO’s specialist panel of advocates and more recently to the CPS specialist fraud panel.
Given the nature of her practice, almost all the cases in which she is instructed involve Money Laundering & Proceeds of Crime issues, including restraint, cash seizure and/or complex confiscation proceedings.
Featured cases
- Op Mickey (2018 – ongoing) – Instructed as prosecution junior (led by Collingwood Thompson QC), by the complex crime unit in this multi million pound “crash for cash” conspiracy to defraud, fraudulent trading, money laundering and perverting the course of justice case. This involves allegations concerning hundreds of fraudulent motor insurance claims, in which a complex web of companies was set up as a vehicle for fraud between 2009-2016, in order to exploit claims arising from RTAs, with each company having its own focus on accident management, recovery and storage or hire of vehicles. These companies charged insurance companies for their services in addition to fraudulent personal injury claims. The money received was ultimately diverted away from the companies and largely laundered through property owned by the defendants and/or their relatives. Subsequent attempts were allegedly made to divert funds away from restrained bank accounts into new accounts held by third parties supported by false invoices.
- R v BP (2017) – Currently instructed in a complex VAT and tax fraud arising out of the sale of novel psychoactive substances or “legal highs” and involving legal argument on the interpretation of the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 and “high value dealers”. (Defence junior)
- R v J and others (2013-2015) – Instructed as SFO prosecution junior this is a multi-handed conspiracy to make corrupt payments to Nigerian tax officials on behalf of a multinational company providing manpower to the gas/oil industry worldwide. This involved an appeal on a point of law (meaning of corruptly for the purpose of s.1 Prevention of Corruption Act 1906) [2014] 1 Cr App R 21.
- R v SD and others (Operation Savate) (2012-2014) – Successful defence in one of the largest CIS/construction VAT frauds. (Defence junior)
- R v JM and others (2012) – Successfully defended complex allegations of insider dealing/money laundering brought by the FCA. This case involved legal argument as to the jurisdictional ambit of insider dealing legislation. (Jnr alone, prosecuted by QC/jnr)
- R v MKN and others (Operation Inertia) (2011-2012) – Instructed as defence junior in one of the largest HMRC VAT/MTIC frauds with alleged loss to the Revenue of over £120m.
- R v B and others (2011) – Instructed as defence junior in this guideline confiscation case as to the interpretation of the lifestyle provisions under POCA. A successful appeal to CACD resulted in a multi-million pound confiscation order being quashed. [2011] EWCA Crim 1093.
Regulatory & Professional Disciplinary
Felicia is frequently instructed for and against local authorities across the full range of criminal and regulatory breaches.
These include Health & Safety offences/breaches, food safety/hygiene (including a number of high profile prosecutions such as Starbucks and TGI Fridays), licensing, Trading Standards, planning enforcement, Environmental Act offences and civil breaches, Education Act offences, injunctions to prevent nuisance and annoyance (including the first ‘dog’ IPNA (formerly ASBO)), housing and council tax benefit fraud, homeless housing fraud and resulting applications under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
Featured cases
- R v Dewgate Limited and others (2013) – Instructed to advise RB Greenwich this involved the successful prosecution of a Higher Education college and company, providing work-placement training, for breaching the Control of Asbestos Regulations and offences under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
- Operation Bronze (2012-13) – Instructed to advise a local authority case team (investigators, lawyers and senior management) pre- and post-charge in multiple cases concerning fraudulently obtaining homeless accommodation, and the alleged misconduct in public office by council employees complicit in the frauds, requiring a review of the internal systems and controls.
- HSE v AWAD UK and AW (2018) – Successfully prosecuted a case (including contested Newton Hearing) involving multiple, repeated breaches of health and safety regulations. Instructed and advised on the case from the outset.
Professional Discipline
Felicia has considerable experience across a broad range of regulatory tribunals including the Police Disciplinary Tribunal, Nursing and Midwifery Council (three-month secondment), General Medical Council, Bar Standards Board, FCA Regulatory and Disciplinary Committee, Disclosure and Barring Service (Upper Tribunal, Administrative Appeals Chambers) and First Tier Tax Tribunal.
She is instructed frequently to advise regulated individuals and corporate clients in respect of pending investigations and/or proceedings in which parallel regulatory and criminal proceedings may be brought (for example, parallel disciplinary/criminal offences and, in the context of FCA investigations, potential FSMA offences, insider dealing, other FCA regulatory breaches and civil settlements).
Featured cases
- NMC v AS (2014) – Successfully defended a registrant charged with misconduct (allegedly assaulting an elderly, vulnerable patient suffering with advanced Alzheimer’s disease and forcefully administering medication to patient whilst not under her care).
- DPS v DI B (2013) – Successfully defended a senior police officer charged with gross misconduct following an IPCC-led re-investigation into an officer’s handling of a criminal investigation of six TSG officers, charged with assault and misconduct in public office, following which all were acquitted in a high profile crown court trial.
- Re PC RW and others (2012) – Successfully defended an officer charged with gross misconduct. Police disciplinary proceedings were brought following an ACC led investigation. This involved significant legal arguments as to abuse of process, non-disclosure and admissibility of evidence.
Education
- Kings College London Postgraduate Medical Law Short Course – Coroners & Inquests given by former Chief Coroner of England & Wales, HHJ Peter Thornton QC (2020)
- LLB (Law with German)
- BVC
Awards
- Diplock Scholar, Middle Temple
- Blackstone Entrance Exhibitioner, Middle Temple
Professional appointments
- Police Appeals Tribunal Chair (2016 – current)
- SFO Panel Advocate (A list) (upgraded 2020)
- SFO Panel Advocate (B list) (2009 – 2020)
- CPS Panel Advocate (General Crime) (Grade 4) (2015)
- CPS Panel Advocate (Organised and Serious Crime) (2012)
- CPS Panel Advocate (Fraud) (2012)
- CPS Panel Advocate (Rape and Serious Sexual Offences) (2012)
- Specialist Regulatory Advocate in Health and Safety and Environmental Law (A list) (selected to prosecute on health and safety issues for bodies including the Environment Agency, Health and Safety Executive and Care Quality Commission) (upgraded 2019)
Memberships
- CBA
- South Eastern Circuit
- ARDL
- HSLA
- Middle Temple
Languages
- German (conversational)
- Spanish (conversational)