Jonathan Swain

Jonathan is a highly regarded leading junior in extradition with over a decade of specialist experience in this specialised area of law.

He also advises on mutual legal assistance, sanctions and sentence transfers, and is instructed on the Attorney General’s Civil Panel (C) in a range of public and private law matters.

Whether he is acting for a requested person or a foreign government, he applies equal expertise and skill when advancing technical arguments and human rights points. He brings a forensic approach to case preparation and advocacy, and his experience of prosecution and defence assists in his tactical presence.

He has been involved in numerous leading cases, and has been instructed extradition requests for murder, terrorism and human trafficking.

He is regularly instructed in some of the most complex and high-profile extradition matters at Westminster Magistrates’ Court and the High Court. He has appeared in the Supreme Court, and his cases have featured in national and international press.

He is a regular contributor to CrimeLine’s Extradition Hub.

Recent cases include:

• Hebda v Poland [2025] EWHC 860 (Admin) - successfully argued that extradition for alleged £2 million fraud would be unjust and oppressive due to Appellant’s severe mental health issues.

• Zeka v Belgium [2025] EWHC 36 (Admin) - Divisional Court consideration of whether detention in Belgian prisons would breach amount to inhuman and degrading treatment.