Jaime Hamilton KC

Criminal

During his career Jaime has undertaken a wide range of criminal work on behalf of both prosecution and defence at first instance and onto appellate level. He has been led in several complex cases ranging from murder to fraud. He has appeared on behalf of the defendant in many cases involving the importation and distribution of drugs, including a conspiracy to import £19 million worth of ecstasy and several operations concentrating on street dealing of heroin and cocaine. He recently appeared in a fraud case involving Data Protection with over 7,000 complainants that was the first of its kind in the country and was the leading Junior on behalf of a defendant in a trial involving a conspiracy to commit armed robberies.

Over time he developed a practice whereby he was frequently instructed in cases of serious sexual offending, where he excelled in the focussed and sympathetic cross-examination of vulnerable witnesses. This particular area of practice has led to him provide training and lectures to the world renowned forensic expert courses provided by St Mary’s Sexual Assault Referral Clinic. He has been led in a case which involved serious sexual offences in respect of seven different victims spanning a thirty year period. He has also been led in cases involving murder and has appeared as the only counsel instructed in cases of attempted murder.

Another area of repeated defence instructions is in cases with substantial Proceeds of Crime elements, usually fraud or drugs. He has been instructed in the High Court on enforcement proceedings. Within the complexities of confiscation he will endeavour to find a simple way to navigate through.

His practical use of the law, demonstrated by his conduct of Proceeds of Crime Act cases, is further illustrated by his appearances in the Court of Appeal where he is often complimented for the clarity of his submissions. He has dealt with appeals concerning fresh evidence, Serious and Organised Crime Prevention Orders and renewed applications for leave.

Due to his extensive experience of cases involving serious and organised criminal conspiracies he is particularly adept at dealing with disclosure and PII issues.

Notable cases

R v JH and 7 others
Prosecution of two conspiracies to murder that arose out of an ongoing war between two criminal gangs. The case concerned a drive by shooting and an attack on a house which led to a 7 year old boy receiving serious injuries. The eight week trial featured cell site evidence and vehicle recognition experts.

R v PC and 3 others
Instructed as a KC leading Arif Ashraf on behalf of the first on the indictment in a grooming gang case. The Judge had ordered that all questions on behalf of all accused were to be dealt with by counsel on behalf of PC, hence the instruction of Jaime. One of the complainants was particularly vulnerable and Jaime drafted the questions with the aid of an intermediary. The case involved complex issues with regard to consent and is currently subject to appeal proceedings in respect of the mixed verdicts.

R v WB
Leading Howard Bernstein in a murder in Derby Crown Court. The Prosecution accepted a plea to manslaughter based on diminished responsibility as the defendant suffered from a delusional disorder. The case involved the killing of the defendant’s grandmother, whom he believed to be a witch.

R v MD
Instructed by Pluck Andrew solicitors to lead Jon Savage from Chambers in the murder by strangulation of the defendant’s brother’s girlfriend. The case involved issues relating to the degree of force required in manual strangulation.

R v MJ and four others
Represented the defendant identified as the knifeman in a joint enterprise murder during a five week trial in Liverpool, leading Jon Savage. Much of the case centred around careful analysis of CCTV evidence. During the course of cross examination the Prosecution expert had to accept that he had missed a significant feature of the clothing analysis.

R v GO
Instructed on a private basis by David Ryan at Forbes to represent a teacher charged with sexual offences against five former pupils. The offences all dated from more than thirty years ago. The defendant was a man of 73 years of age. He entered acceptable guilty pleas which significantly reduced the scope of the allegations made against him.

KC
Advising in conference and in writing a major entity in the legal sector on their money laundering policies.

MBC W
Advising a Local Authority in respect of a discrete issue on disclosure that had arisen in child care proceedings.

SWG
Advising a limited company with regard to issues of potential criminality arising out of an employment dispute.

R v S
acting pro bono in a renewed application for leave to appeal conviction in a case involving the murder of the applicant’s parents. Although not involved in the original trial and did not draft the original grounds, Jaime assisted the applicant and represented him before the Court of Appeal in seeking to persuade the Court there had been a significant misdirection in respect of expert evidence as to the time of death.

R v MH
A multiple million pound VAT fraud involving reclaiming tax on contracts for the staging and televising of MMA fights. Jaime led Fiona Wise from chambers in a cut throat defence for the defendant who appeared second on the indictment. After cross-examination by Jaime and the beginning of cross examination by prosecution counsel, the first defendant changed his plea to guilty.

R v D and another
Led by Nicholas Clark KC defending a young mother accused of murdering her newborn baby. The case concerned extensive expert evidence, both as to the cause of death, to the issue of diminished responsibility and to the capability of the vulnerable defendant to participate in the trial. The defence case involved advancing issues relating to the controlling and coercive behaviour of the co-accused towards this defendant with a psychological assessment of the impact of “gaslighting” upon her capacity to act independently. The Prosecution case was defeated by a successful submission of no case to answer which they then sought to appeal. The procedure adopted by the Prosecution was defective. When proceedings reached the Court of Appeal the preparation was split between Nicholas and Jaime, with Nicholas preparing and presenting the arguments on the substantive law and Jaime dealing with the procedural point. The Appeal was determined on the procedural aspect without the defence even being called upon to address the substantive issue.

R v F&B
Appeared as the first of two juniors being led by Paul Greaney KC in the Prosecution of two men charged with two gangland “hits”. One of the deceased was a major gangland figure in the North West and the case attracted national media attention. Jaime was involved at an early stage and was solely responsible for advising the CPS on evidential issues and the prospects of success. The case involved extensive cell site material and was largely circumstantial. It is believed that this was the first prosecution case to utilise the evidence gathered from a fitness tracker that was worn by one of the defendants. This successful Prosecution led to the imposition of a whole life term for the gunman.

R v JK and 7 others
Multi-handed gangland conspiracy to murder. Once again part of a Prosecution team of three, led by Paul Greaney with the assistance of Phil Barnes from chambers. Two conspiracies to murder in the background of extensive gang violence in the North West. The case involved the shooting of a little boy and again attracted nationwide media attention. The case was presented through a composite electronic presentation of evidence drawing together strands of cell site material, ANPR, vehicle comparison and CCTV footage.

R v MC and others
Prosecution of a nationwide drug conspiracy that involved Class A drugs worth millions of pounds, the possession of a sub-machine gun and an international money laundering operation investigated by Titan, the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit. The trial lasted six weeks with Jaime leading Alaric Walmsley from Harrington Street chambers. Extensive use of cell site, ANPR and covert surveillance material.

R v KT
Defending a man charged with serious sexual offences against very young children. Once he was remanded into custody, the defendant suffered a significant brain injury which caused lifelong cognitive impairment. The defendant was assisted throughout trial by an intermediary. The trial involved the pre-recorded cross-examination of very young witnesses according to a ground rules hearing guided by a further intermediary assisting the children. The youngest of the children was cross-examined with just nine questions. The defendant was acquitted.

R v SS and others
Leading Fiona Wise in a multi-handed Prosecution concerning a firearm incident, with three of the defendants being represented by KCs. The case dealt extensively with the interception of telecommunications and hearsay. Ultimately praised in the Court of Appeal for the calm dignity with which Jaime had dealt with an issue that arose during the course of the trial.

R v MD and others
The defendant was a young woman charged along other members of her family with a conspiracy to defraud. It was alleged they had defrauded an elderly man of his life savings in excess of £300,000 when they encountered him when he contacted a sex chat line. Sadly the complainant passed away during the course of the proceedings and his evidence was admitted as hearsay. On behalf of his client Jaime made a series of directed disclosure requests which eventually revealed a significant failure in the disclosure regime, leading to the prosecution offering no further evidence. At the conclusion of the trial the Judge particularly commented on Jaime’s conduct of the defence having been instrumental in the outcome.

R v AH and others
Leading Robert Smith from chambers in the Prosecution of an organised crime group where dedicated surveillance had not established evidence of the nature of the criminality but established the existence of significant assets. After five days of legal arguments, which ranged through applications to dismiss, disclosure issues, abuse of process and admissibility, the defendants pleaded guilty. The case involved complicated evidence which dealt with constructive trusts and beneficial ownership.

R v SF and others
Prosecuting a used car dealer who had defrauded over 30 customers out of the proceeds of the sale of their cars. The main defendant was represented by a KC. The defendant had attempted to use the corporate structure and insolvency to hide his offending. Advised the CPS from the pre-charge stage through to conviction.

R v P and P
Three trials concerning intra-familial sexual abuse in the eighties and nineties between adopted and fostered siblings. There were extensive social service records which formed the basis for cross -examination of very vulnerable complainants which was achieved through extensive use of the relevant toolkits and agreed facts.

R v RB and others
Prosecuting a group who kidnapped two men when their drug conspiracy started to go awry. The case involved the discharge of a firearm. Jaime was leading Graham Robinson from chambers. The principle prosecution witnesses were themselves criminals involved in the drug trade.

R v T
Defending a man already serving life for rape in a further allegation of sexual abuse stemming from the same family relationship. The defendant claimed to have no recollection of his life prior to starting to serve his life sentence. Cross-examination and addressing the jury required extreme skill and care.

R v SB and others
Instructed by the East Midlands CCU to prosecute a multi-handed conspiracy to supply Class A drugs which included a criminal solicitor that practised in the city where the case was prosecuted. The case involved extensive surveillance of a number of “drug runs” between the Midlands and London.

R v GE
Prosecuting the attempted murder of a young mother who was walking in the street one morning when she was attacked out of the blue by a stranger. The defendant was tracked down based upon expert clothing comparison with CCTV footage. The defendant was sentenced to life imprisonment.

R v JS and others
Represented the lead defendant in a multi-handed importation of drugs from Europe. Advised the defendant from the stage of his arrest in Amsterdam and return to this country pursuant to a European Arrest Warrant. Instructed to represent the defendant at trial leading Alison Heyworth. Also instructed in High Court proceedings relating to custody time limits. The case involved use of material obtained from a listening device in a vehicle and evidence obtained from overseas. There was a significant challenge to RIPA authorities in a preparatory hearing. Further instructed in both an appeal in respect of a Serious and Organised Crime Prevention Order and enforcement proceedings in POCA.

Appointments

• Leader of the Northern Circuit (2023)
• King’s Counsel (2019)

Education

LLB, UCW Aberystwyth

Awards

• Barrister of the Year, Manchester Legal Awards, 2020
• Pryce-Calcott Award (UCW)
• Raymond Bax Scholar (Gray’s)

Prescribed Information

Jaime Hamilton KC is a practising barrister, regulated by the Bar Standards Board. Details of information held by the BSB about Jaime Hamilton KC can be found here.

Jaime Hamilton KC clerks will provide no obligation quotations for all legal services that he offers. Jaime Hamilton KC accepts instructions on legal aid rates where those are available, details of which can be found here.  For other work, Jaime Hamilton KC usually charges a brief fee plus refresher fees for court hearings, with advisory, conference and other preparation work charged at an hourly rate. Jaime Hamilton KC aims to return paperwork within 14-21 working days, however his professional commitments, complexity and volume of documentation can affect these approximate timescales.