John Allchin

Practice Areas

John is a Senior Associate Solicitor who specialises in defending complex, high value financial crime cases and associated Proceeds of Crime Act proceedings. He has built up considerable experience in defending individuals and businesses being prosecuted for fraud, money laundering, tax evasion, copyright infringement and other regulatory offences. He is a fraud supervisor under the Very High Costs Cases (VHCC) arrangements.

His track record reflects the fact that he works tirelessly to bring his expertise and knowledge to bear on cases so as to ensure he obtains a successful outcome for his clients.

When defending at the investigation stage he strives to adopt a proactive approach to seek to ensure that the case does not proceed to court.

Work Highlights

R v S (Operation Humour): Securing the acquittal of a former UKIP MEP charged with Misconduct in Public office and Money Laundering arising from an alleged expenses fraud. The defence successfully argued at trial that expense claims had been deliberately corrupted by a former aide to further his own political ambitions.

R v N and others (Operation Tarlac): Representing a defendant in an alleged £12.5 million payment diversion fraud involving NHS Trusts, Local Authorities, the States of Guernsey and educational establishments.

R v B (Operation Jamesia) Representing a trader in the American financial markets charged in connection with an alleged £8m investment fraud.

R v N (Operation Quaveo) Alleged £24m pension fraud. The defence case involved the presentation of expert evidence to successfully challenge the prosecution case concerning alleged breaches of FCA passporting rules.

R v A (Operation Festive): Acting on behalf of one of 12 defendants arrested by police in a series of co-ordinated raids to break up an alleged Organised Crime Group said to have been involved in the sale of drugs and associated money laundering activities. No further action taken.

R v B (Operation Ebony): Obtaining not guilty verdicts on behalf of a client alleged to have been part of a large scale conspiracy to supply class “A” drugs. Using footage from the channel 5 Police Interceptors programme to argue that drugs had been planted by officers.

R v S and others (Operation Babbage): Securing acquittal of defendant after trial in relation to his alleged involvement in the evasion £500,000 of excise duty.

Insolvency Service v O: Acting on behalf of the director / shadow director of a series of 8 companies alleged to have been “Phoenixed” in order to defraud HMRC of over £5m in unpaid taxes. Substantially reducing POCA confiscation liabilities by successfully arguing that the corporate veil should not be lifted.

NCA v O: The defence case presented led to the National Crime Agency accepting that they had not drawn highly pertinent matters to the courts attention when obtaining an ex parte receivership order. This led to a successful resolution of the case.

R v R: Representing the director of a publishing company in legally and factually complex POCA confiscation proceedings following pleas of guilty to copyright and trademark offences. Successfully arguing that the assets of the company should be excluded from the POCA realisable amount on the basis that the defendant was not a shareholder and that the corporate veil should not be lifted.