Adam King

Practice: Crime and Regulatory

Summary

Adam is instructed for both the defence and prosecution across the full range of criminal offences,  and also in a wide variety of regulatory matters. He is committed to offering the highest standards of advocacy, as well as clear and well-considered advice to clients at all stages of proceedings.

Adam is highly focussed on the huge importance of strategic and tactical decision-making in every trial in which he is instructed, and seeks to involve all clients in those decisions to the fullest extent possible.

Criminal Trials 

Adam is an experienced advocate in the Crown Court. He has appeared in trials involving all offences of violence (including murder, attempted murder and s.18 GBH), sexual offences (including rape), possession and supply of firearms, drug offences (including conspiracy to supply/import substantial quantities of Class A drugs), kidnap and false imprisonment, fraud (insurance fraud, benefit fraud, charity fraud, etc.), bomb hoaxing, money laundering, and armed robbery.

He has a detailed knowledge of Confiscation proceedings under POCA, and a thorough and practical understanding of PII applications. He also has some experience of RIPA in criminal trials.

Adam has been fortunate to have had substantial experience as a led junior in several long and complex trials, in which he has dealt with – among other things – cell-site evidence, arguments concerning the admissibility of low-copy-number  DNA, facial mapping, and a wide variety of  other expert evidence including medical / psychiatric evidence and highly technical issues of firearms classification.

Adam practised as a defence attorney in the Cayman Islands for six months in 2009 where his trials included murder, fraud and rape of a child.

Court of Appeal

Adam has appeared in the Court of Appeal several times in appeals against both conviction and sentence. Reported cases: 

R v Abbas Uddin [2011] EWCA Crim 2695 

Appeal against conviction for s.18 Wounding with Intent. While the Court ultimately upheld the conviction as “not unsafe”, the trial judge was criticised for defects in her directions to the jury and inadequately correcting an error highlighted by counsel. Counsel was complimented for “coherent and conscientious written argument, supported by his attractive oral argument”.

R v Aron Pask [2011] EWCA Crim 2010

Successful appeal against sentence in conspiracy to rob.

Regulatory work

NMC: Adam was seconded to the Nursing and Midwifery Council for three months in 2010 where he acquired the skills and experience necessary to prosecute health disciplinary proceedings. He has appeared before panels of the Conduct and Competence Committee and of the Health Committee in a large number of substantive hearings.

Since this secondment he has continued to be instructed by the NMC on an independent basis and has also appeared (successfully) for the defence (see NMC v Raji).

GMC:  Advised doctors facing disciplinary action before the General Medical Council, pro bono.

GDC:  Represented the General Dental Council in a prosecution under s.38 Dentists Act 1984

SIA: Adam regularly represents the Security Industry Authority in licensing appeals and in criminal prosecutions of companies in breach of the licensing requirements of the Private Security Industry Act 2001.

Police Disciplinary Tribunal: Adam has assisted police officers facing disciplinary proceedings at the interview stage, defended police officers in the criminal courts, and has worked with Mark Aldred in defending proceedings before the Tribunal.

OFT: Adam acted for an Estate Agent brought before the Office of Fair Trading after being convicted of mortgage fraud, successfully avoiding a Prohibition Order.

Data Protection Act: Advised as to the liabilities under the DPA of a company accused of illegally obtaining large amounts of personal information from the Department of Work and Pensions.

Direct Access

Adam has recently become qualified to accept instructions on a Direct Access basis. So far he has advised a doctor accused of lying about his qualifications and a client who had been asked to reimburse thousands of pounds of welfare payments and threatened with criminal prosecution. Adam prides himself on his ability to build trusting and effective relationships with lay clients and continues to be available to be instructed directly by members of the public in appropriate cases.