Serena Gates

Recommendations

She is on top of the detail, exercises good judgement and cross-examines very well.

― Chambers UK (2025)

Serena presents her cases extremely well and has good judgement. She works under pressure effectively and efficiently.

― Chambers UK (2025)

She is an outstanding barrister and fabulous on the law. She is an excellent advocate, respected by judges and colleagues.

― Chambers UK (2025)

Serena has extraordinary intelligence and judgement. She is meticulous and fair in her dealings with disclosure. She inputted very effectively on legal issues. Her advocacy is exceptional and she is quite clearly on the road to silk. Her case management skills are exemplary, and even when there is a crisis during a trial can guide everyone through the problem.

― Legal 500 (2022)

As well as an impressive forensic approach she also has an effective and persuasive style of advocacy. This combined with an entirely sensible and reasonable approach makes her an extremely effective advocate and a formidable prosecutor.

― Legal 500 (2021)

She is clever, hardworking, and has excellent judgement. She also gets on well with clients, opponents, and judges.

― Legal 500 (2020)

Murder & Manslaughter

Serena has been instructed in numerous homicide cases at the Central Criminal Court in single and multi-defendant homicides including gang ‘ride outs’ internal gang feuds and murders committed in the course of violent robberies. In addition, she has been instructed as a junior alone and leading junior to prosecute attempted murders including revenge attacks and domestic abuse cases. Serena has also prosecuted death by dangerous cases.

Featured cases:

• R v M & others (2024) CCC-  Serena is currently instructed as junior counsel led by Alexandra Healey KC in the prosecution of six defendants accused of the murder of a cannabis dealer.
• R v R & others (2023) CCC– Serena was instructed as junior counsel, led by James Dawes KC, in a multi-handed murder and attempted murder where gang members targeted what was believed to be a rival drug dealer operating from a local flat.
• R v A & others (2023) CCC- Serena was instructed as junior counsel led by Anthony Orchard KC in a six handed murder stemming from an internal gang feud.  (Originally instructed as leading counsel before the it became a six handed murder case on the death of the complainant six months after the initial stabbing.)
• R v B & S (2022) Serena was instructed as junior counsel, led by Pavlos Panayi KC, in a two-handed gang related murder of a young male stabbed to death in in Southall.
• R v M (2022) CCC– Serena was instructed as junior counsel, led by Crispin Aylett KC, in the prosecution of a 14 year old defendant for the murder of a 45 year old male.
• R v AR (2022) Inner London CC– Serena was instructed a junior alone to prosecute the attempted murder of two individuals by a single defendant who was deemed fit to plead but who had been suffering from a psychotic episode at the time of the alleged incidents.
• R v S & F (2021) – Coventry CC– Serena was instructed as junior counsel, led by Michelle Nelson KC, in a two defendant murder arising from an inter-familial feud.

Terrorism

Serena has experience of conducting terrorism cases, including those involving sensitive and complex legal issues of admissibility and disclosure including applications for closed proceedings and notification hearings. She has also undertaken extensive work for the FCDO and other HMG departments in relation to capacity building within the rule of law sphere of counter terrorism networks abroad.

Featured Cases:

• R v N (2024) Kingston CC – Serena was instructed as leading counsel in the prosecution of a 15 year old defendant who developed an obsession with Islamic extremism and planned acts of terrorism including developing a plan to attack the Isle of White festival. The defendant suffered from autism and complex behavioural issues.
• R v RI  (2023) (Winchester CC)- Serena was instructed to prosecute a female Islamic extremist accused of disseminating terrorism publications.
• R v RS (2021) – Birmingham CC- Serena was instructed as a junior alone in the successful prosecution of an individual alleged to have been radicalised online during the Covid pandemic. The individual was accused of disseminating graphic terrorist publications which provided support for Islamic extremist groups.
• R v AK (2021) – Birmingham CC- Serena, led by Alison Morgan KC, was instructed to prosecute an individual accused of disseminating terrorist publications (s.2) and possession of a copy of the Anarchists cookbook (s.58). The case involved complex legal arguments on disclosure, an application for part of the proceedings to be held in camera and an alleged abuse of process.
• R v N & W (2019) – Liverpool CC- – Serena appeared for the prosecution in the sentence of N & W, two females convicted of funding Islamic terrorism.
• R v S (2016) – Northampton CC- Serena was instructed as junior alone on behalf of a defendant charged with multiple counts of Making or Having an Explosive Substance in addition to Possession of a Document for Terrorist Purposes. The defendant was found in possession of a large number of chemicals including controlled substances and 2kg of gunpowder in addition to other items that were alleged to be right wing paraphernalia.

Fraud

Serena prosecutes and defends across a broad range of complex criminal cases, many of which have multi-jurisdictional aspects and/or sensitive disclosure aspects to them. She is well versed in dealing with vulnerable defendants and witnesses.

Featured Cases:

• R v S (2023) Maidstone CC- prosecution of knee surgeon for fraud, forgery and malicious communications.
• R v I & others (2023) Southwark CC- Serena was instructed as leading counsel in a multi handed complex insurance fraud involving the establishment of fraudulent companies and the laundering of the proceeds through multiple onward layers.
• R v H & others (2020) – Woolwich CC– Serena was instructed as leading counsel to prosecute 8 defendants in a large-scale drugs importation and international money laundering case. The evidence was one of the early prosecutions centred on the admissibility of data from the secure phone system ‘Encrochat’.
• R v JR & others (2020) – Snaresbrook CC-Serena was instructed for a vulnerable defendant in a multi handed conspiracy to possess firearms and ammunition. The prosecution case focused on DNA, phone data, CCTV and surveillance evidence.
• R v O & others (2020) – Woolwich CC- Following on from the prosecution of earlier county lines conspiracies involving the trafficking of children for the purposes of exploitation by drugs gangs, Serena was instructed as lead counsel in the prosecution of another county lines network where modern slavery defences were raised by some of the younger defendants following positive NRM referrals. In a linked case, the Court of Appeal ruled the prosecution was not an abuse of process.
• R v B, K & S (2019) – Maidstone CC- Serena was  instructed to prosecute a county lines drugs conspiracy involving the trafficking of children to the Kent area for exploitation by the drugs gang.
• R v R & Others (2019) – Lewes CC- Serena was instructed as leading junior  by the South East Complex Casework Unit to prosecute an organised crime gang involved in a high value, high-end car ringing operation. The case involved expert evidence relating to the manipulation of the insurance industry and vehicle salvage experts. The main conspirators were successfully convicted.
• R v A, B & Others (2018) – Woolwich CC- Serena successfully prosecuted a 5 handed drugs conspiracy operating in the London and Kent area. Serena successfully resisted abuse of process arguments and half time submissions. All defendants were convicted.
• R v M and others (2017) – Maidstone CC– Serena was instructed to prosecute an organized criminal network operating in the south east of England who were responsible for smelting over £1.4 million of scrap gold, stolen in a large number of domestic burglaries, and laundering the proceeds through a jewellery business.
• Operation Bypass (2014) –Isleworth CC- Serena was instructed mid trial as disclosure junior to address various disclosure challenges that were mounted by the defendants in this multi handed drug and cigarette importation trial. As a result of her work, the trial survived various challenges mounted by the defence teams prior to half time.

Sexual Offences

Serena is a grade 4 rape and sexual offences prosecutor and has prosecuted and defended in numerous rapes, many involving multiple complainants and including historic allegations and those involving very young children.

Featured Cases:

• R v N (2022)- Canterbury CC- Serena was instructed as leading counsel in the prosecution of a teenager with autism who had raped and sexually abused a very young complainant who also suffered from severe autism. Both defendant and complainant were assisted by intermediaries throughout.
• R v CP (2022)- Leicester CC- Serena was instructed as leading counsel to represent a defendant accused of the historical rape of multiple child complainants over several years. The defendant was a teenager and young adult at the time of the alleged incidents and both the complainants and defendant suffer from a variety of mental health conditions.
• R v JL (2021) – Maidstone CC- Serena successfully prosecuted a defendant on a 22 count indictment which included multiple counts of rape of children under 13. The case involved the historical rape by the defendant of his young brothers and cousins.
• R v H (2019) – Canterbury CC– Successful prosecution of elderly defendant for historical rape and sexual abuse of his daughter and step daughter spanning several years. Complex issues of third party disclosure. Defendant pleaded to the totality of offending at the beginning of the trial.
• R v R (2019) – Maidstone CC- Prosecution of brother on brother rape and sexual abuse. Both the defendant and victim were vulnerable and suffered from varying degrees of autism and other difficulties.
• R v T (2015) –Snaresbrook CC – Serena successfully prosecuted a defendant accused of rape and repeated sexual assault of a woman with learning difficulties.
• R v M (2011) – Canterbury CC- Serena successfully prosecuted a defendant accused of historical and recent familial sexual abuse spanning over a 20 year period.

Military Law

Featured Cases

• R v S (2016) – Instructed as the leading junior representing a soldier accused of the attempted murder of a fellow soldier in Cyprus. The victim was left severely brain damaged in the incident. A number of successful challenges to aspects of the prosecution evidence, much of which was obtained from abroad, were raised. As a result of the revised evidential position, the prosecution eventually accepted a plea to a lesser offence.
• R v H (2016) -Successfully represented a Flight Sergeant accused of sexual touching.

Professional Discipline

Inquests & Inquiries

Appeals

Serena has frequently been instructed to appear in the Court of Appeal by the CPS Appeals Unit and on behalf of His Majesty’s Attorney General in respect of Unduly Lenient Sentences, the latter during her appointment as a Treasury Counsel Monitoree.

Serena has advised in Judicial Review proceedings including cases involving the successful challenge of a refusal to implement a parole board recommendation for a prisoner serving a life sentence and cases relating to the re-categorisation of serving prisoners. Whilst working for the then Foreign and Commonwealth Office as a Senior criminal justice advisor in Afghanistan, Serena was also involved, from an HMG perspective, in judicial reviews brought against the UK Government challenging the transfer of UK captured prisoners to Afghan custody.

Serena’s wider experience working for UK Government departments and in foreign jurisdictions gives her a competitive edge when it comes to understanding the policy and practical workings of public bodies.

Featured cases:

• R v G (2024)- Instructed by CPS Appeals Unit to respond and represent the Crown in an appeal against sentence before the full court where fresh psychological evidence was before the Court in respect of a former soldier with PTSD who had been convicted of sexually abusing his daughters. The appeal was successfully resisted.

• AG’s Ref (2024)- Instructed to apply for leave to refer a 10 year sentence passed for offences of rape as unduly lenient. The case featured a vulnerable victim, an abuse of trust and multiple incidents of abuse over a two month period.

• AG’s Ref (2023)- Instructed to apply for leave to refer a sentence of 4 years and 6 months passed for offences of robbery and attempted robbery as unduly lenient. The case involved a young adult offender and street robberies committed against two sets of victims.

• AG’s Ref (2022)- Instructed to apply for leave to refer a 22 month sentence passed for offences of child cruelty on an offender with a learning disability as unduly lenient.

International

Education

• MA, University of Cambridge

Awards

• Halsbury Rule of Law Award, Lexis Nexis (2019)
• Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service, Operational Honours List (2008)
• Diplock Scholarship, Middle Temple (2000)

Professional Appointments

• Treasury Counsel Monitoree (September 2021 to March 2024)
• CPS specialist panels for Fraud, Organised Crime and Counter-terrorism (Grade 4)
• CPS grade 4 panel for general crime
• Member of International Advisory Committee for NGO Legal Action Worldwide.
• Senior Civilian Expert for UK HMG Office of Conflict, Stabilisation and Mediation (A cross Whitehall unit providing specialist advice to HMG departments including FCDO, NCA, HO and others.)
• Halsbury Rule of Law Award 2019 (for war crimes work)

Languages

• Spanish

Other expertise

• Crime
• International Criminal Law
• Rule of Law and Capacity Building

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