Tim Kiely

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“Red Lion Chambers is a great set of chambers to work with. They are well respected and have an array of very talented counsel.”
Legal 500, 2022

Personal profile

Tim manages a busy Crime practice across a wide range of matters in both the Crown and Magistrates’ Courts. He has experience of prosecuting and defending on a variety of criminal matters, including Serious Violence, Drugs Offences, Road Traffic Offences, Fraud, burglaries and cases involving domestic violence. These matters frequently involve dealing with vulnerable defendants and witnesses.

He has undertaken drafting work for the Government Legal Department on Immigration matters and he is currently part of the Metropolitan Police counsel team on the Undercover Policing Inquiry chaired by Sir John Mitting. He has also handled confiscation matters following conviction in Money Laundering & Proceeds Of Crime Act (POCA)-related proceedings.

Tim has completed the ICCA ‘Advocacy and the Vulnerable’ training course.

Prior to joining chambers, Tim worked both as a county court advocate in a variety of civil matters on the Midlands circuit, and as a paralegal at Corker Binning and Fulcrum chambers in London. From January to April 2015 he was an intern at the Capital Appeals Project, a legal non-profit based in New Orleans where he assisted with the most complex and contentious criminal appeals, as well as campaigning more generally for the abolition of the death penalty in Louisiana.

Serious & Organised Crime

Featured Cases:

R v L, Q and F (2025), junior prosecuting counsel in a multi-handed conspiracy to produce cannabis which also involved consideration of sensitive information alongside Security Service partners as part of an application to stay for abuse of process. All Defendants either pleaded or were convicted at trial
R v L and others and R v N (2022 and 2023) – Junior prosecuting counsel in a multi-handed conspiracy to facilitate illegal entry to the UK, including one defendant severed and tried separately in 2023. 3 of 4 defendants convicted.
R v CH (2023) – Prosecuting a self-described ‘one man army’ for possessing an explosive substance in the form of fireworks modified with arrowheads and ball bearings. Convicted

Inquests & Inquiries

Tim continues to be part of the counsel team during the Undercover Policing Inquiry.

Featured Cases

Undercover Policing Inquiry (2018 to present) – Part of the counsel team on the largest ever public inquiry into undercover policing. Involvement ongoing.

Serious Violence

Tim has successfully defended many serious violence and weapons cases.

Featured Cases

R v AASM (2024) – prosecuting counsel in a case involving the stabbing of a teenage victim by a teenage defendant, which also involved filming and humiliation through stripping. Convicted on day 1 of trial and sentenced to 18 months suspended for 2 years.
R v SA (2024) – defending a client accused with a number of others of witness intimidation following a highly public disorder outside a Brick Lane curry house. Acquitted after trial.
R v R (2023) – Prosecuting a man alleged to have inflicted life-threatening head injuries on a man who had come to the door of his home. Convicted of section 18 GBH.
R v C (2021) – Defending a client charged with controlling and coercive behaviour, threats to kill and ABH. Acquitted or hung jury on four of five counts.
R v C (2020) – Defending a client charged with threats to kill and two counts of possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear, in a trial taking place under the coronavirus regulations. Acquitted on two of three counts.
R v B (2020) – Defending a client charged with aggravated burglary, threats to kill and ss. 18 and 20 GBH. Acquitted on three of four counts.
R v J (2019) – Prosecuting a section 20 GBH carried out in revenge against a former co-worker. Convicted.
R v P (2019) – Prosecuting an ABH committed against a pensioner at Basildon CC. Jury convicted after 40 minutes.
R v B (2019) – Prosecuting an ABH at Blackfriars CC committed against a partially-sighted man. Convicted.
R v A (2018) – Defending a teacher accused of using threats with intent to cause fear of violence on school premises. Acquitted.
R v A (2018) – Defending a prison guard accused of assaulting an inmate. Transcript evidence from a disciplinary hearing showed that the Complainant was alleged to have bribed an inmate to give corroborating evidence. Used this to make a Bad Character/Hearsay application which later persuaded the Crown to offer no evidence.
R v M (2017) – Defending a man accused of assaulting his step-daughter and her children. Following successful submissions that client was not fit to stand trial: absolute discharge.
R v T (2017) – Defending a youth charged with possession of a bladed article. Acquitted.
R v J (2017) – Defending a young woman charged with assault and criminal damage. Having heard submissions on the defendant’s acting in self-defence: acquitted of all charges.

Road Traffic Offences

Tim persuaded a jury to convict in 40 minutes.

Featured Cases

R v E (2019) – Prosecuting dangerous driving at Snaresbrook CC. Jury convicted after 40 minutes.

Drugs Offences

Tim has appeared in numerous drugs-related matters.

Featured Cases

R v A (2023) – Representing a Defendant charged with five counts of producing Class B and possessing Class A and B drugs with intent to supply. Acquitted on all counts.
R v T (2022) – Prosecuted a Defendant charged with possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply, who ran a defence under the Modern Slavery Act requiring expert evidence to be heard in court. Convicted on all counts.
R v J (2018) – Representing a Defendant in confiscation proceedings following a conviction for possession with intent to supply (Class A). Reduced a benefit figure to 48% of what was sought after adducing evidence from the Defendant and his father.

Civil Liberties & Human Rights

A conviction appealed to the Central Criminal Court was quashed at half time.

Featured Cases

R v CC (2018) – Appeal against conviction at the Central Criminal Court on charges of obstructing a constable and failing to comply with a request to leave part of St James’ Park. Both convictions quashed at half time.

Public & Administrative Law

Tim drafted grounds for refusing permission in an application for judicial review.

Featured Cases

R (ex p A) v Home Secretary (2018) – Drafting grounds for refusing permission in an application to judicially review a decision not to grant indefinite leave to remain. Permission denied.

Education

BPTC, City Law School: ‘Very Competent’
GDL, University of Birmingham: Commendation
BA(Hons) English Language and Literature, St Johns’ College, Oxford – BA(Hons) English Language and Literature: 1st

Awards

Internship Award, Gray’s Inn
Prince of Wales and Residential Scholarship, Gray’s Inn
CPA Scholarship, Gray’s Inn
Distinction, St John’s College

Professional Appointments

CPS Advocate General Crime (Grade 3)
Panel Member for Fraud and POCA (Grade 2)
Panel Member for Serious Crime (Grade 3)
Junior Immigration Advisory Scheme

Memberships

CBA
Young Fraud Lawyers Association
Gray’s Inn

Publications

‘Human Rights in Criminal Law’ chapter 24, ‘Issues of Criminal Responsibility’ (with Riel Karmy-Jones KC), 13/02/2023
‘Demonstrators who topple statues should not be prosecuted’, The Times, 11/06/2020, with Ed Vickers KC
‘After Edward Colston, what next for our monuments to white supremacy?’, Counsel Magazine website, 15/06/2020
‘A view from a Junior Barrister’, Bar Council blog, 10/12/2020
‘Are we taking the right approach to knife crime?’, Open Access Government, 21/11/2019
‘44% of crime investigations are dropped’, Open Access Government, 12/12/2019
‘Is Covid-19 Changing How We Think About Criminal Justice Reform?’, Each Other, 26/03/2020
‘Patel should have taken notice of domestic violence long before coronavirus’, The Times, with Kate Bex KC, 23/04/2020