Andrew
Wilkins
Head of Crime | Called 1995 |
Public Access Accredited
Background
Andrew did pupillage in London with a mixed common law set and then obtained tenancy in the South East, where he initially undertook a wide range of cases around the country before specialising in crime. He moved to Cornwall Street Chambers in 2008 and has been Head of the Criminal Team since March 2022.
Andrew has a wide experience of criminal proceedings, built up over many years. He has expertise in defending almost all kinds of cases, from road traffic to murder, including fraud, regulatory offences, armed robbery, rape, child abduction and arson with intent. He is knowledgeable about all relevant aspects of procedure, evidence and sentencing. He has experience of Courts Martial and prison disciplinary hearings. He is Grade 4 Prosecutor and on the CPS panel to prosecute serious sexual offences. He has prosecuted an equally wide range of offences.
He has written articles and lectured on various aspects of criminal law.
Education
- Trinity College, Oxford (MA)
- Inns of Court School of Law
Andrew’s expertise
Criminal Law
Andrew appears in the Magistrates Court and Court of Appeal, but more usually in the Crown Court. He has successfully argued that cases should be stayed as an abuse of process, has ensured that evidence is excluded and has sensitively, but successfully, challenged the evidence of vulnerable witnesses. He is able to skilfully cross-examine expert witnesses from various scientific disciplines and can advise when an expert should be called on behalf of the defence. He can ensure that any sentence passed is kept to a minimum and that ancillary orders, such as restraining orders, football banning orders or sexual harm prevention orders are only passed when necessary. He has successfully handled many proceeds of crime applications, including obtaining certificates of inadequacy and resisting applications to increase the available amount. He has successfully argued against convictions and sentence in the Court of Appeal.
Andrew accepts clients on a Public Access basis, without a solicitor, but considers that this is only appropriate in a small number of cases.
He has written articles and lectured on various aspects of criminal law.
Military Law
Andrew has experience of Courts Martial, including allegations of GBH with intent, but is eager to gain more.
Regulatory Law
Andrew is interested in some of the less common criminal offences and has experience of cases including toy safety, unfair trading, planning and Air Navigation Order offences.
Notable Cases
B (2022) Reading Crown Court – successful defence of a man with a history of violence and psychosis who declined to attend part of his trial for attempted rape and other sexual offences
P (2022) Wolverhampton Crown Court, defending allegations of rape from 1971.
McCarthy (2022) Warwick Crown Court- prosecuting repeated breaches of sexual offender notification order with a complicated factual matrix
H (2022) Wawick Crown Court- successfully defending allegations of modern slavery and drugs conspiracy
W (2022) Worcester Crown Court – negotiating appropriate pleas and securing suspended sentence for woman accused of £20k elder fraud
Prota (2022) EWCA Crim 605 Court of Appeal, reducing sentence for failing to surrender
P (2022) Warwick Crown Court – defending man accused of sexual assault, securing community order
Millard (2022) Court of Appeal – appealing sentence and conviction in serious familial sexual offences following s28 procedure
Turner & Hems (2022) Worcester Crown Court- successfully prosecuting s18 GBH in prison environment
C (2021) Warwick Crown Court – securing non-custodial disposal for man accused of violent disorder
S (2021) Birmingham Crown Court – defending in firearm case prosecuted by leading counsel
H (2021) Wolverhampton Crown Court -defending in armed robbery of pawnbrokers
Blackwell (2021) Hereford Crown Court – successful prosecution of bomb hoax
Bowket (2021) Birmingham Crown Court – successful prosecution of cyberstalking and cyberflashing case, resulting in lengthy extended prison sentence.
Other reported cases
R v Edwards (Leroy) [2022] EWCA Crim 1436 – acheiving greater credit for pleas to alternative offences initially rejected
R v Prota (Luigi) [2022] EWCA Crim 605 – reducing sentence for failures to attend
R v Tyler [2020] EWCA Crim 747 – on totality in burglary sentencing
R v Dixon (Alan Richard) [2019] EWCA Crim 2481 – on totality and blades
R v BCD [2018] EWCA Crim 2261 – reducing sentence in relation to rape in a coercive setting
R v Ball [2018] EWCA Crim 2261 – successfully appealing the sentence of a young man found to be dangerous because he was autistic
R v C, E, I, F [2014] EWCA Crim 1483 – successfully appealing the conviction of an individual trafficked from Austria
R v Adedini [2012] EWCA Crim 926 – reducing sentence on an overstayer using a false passport
R v Oniya [2012] EWCA Crim 2883 – reducing sentence for false identification documents
R v Angus St John Wilson [2009] EWCA Crim 557 – successfully appealing an extended sentence over 2.5years out of time (only instructed for the appeal)
R v Groves [2008] EWCA Crim 1110 – successfully resisting an appeal against sentence for drugs offences
R v Christopher John Doughan [2007] EWCA Crim 598 – successfully resisting an appeal against for breach of ASBO.
R v McGrath [2005] EWCA Crim 353 – successfully appealing the terms of an ASBO imposed for theft
R v Tekhliq Khalique [2005] EWCA Crim 3109 – on alibi directions
Shergill v Harrow Crown Court [2005] EWHC 648 (Admin) – the High Court case that first stated that Crown Court reasons in bail decisions should be recorded
Professional Memberships
Criminal Bar Association
Awards
- Mowat Law Exhibitioner (Trinity College, Oxford)
- Hardwicke Scholar (Lincoln’s Inn)
Interests
Andrew is a qualified International Mounted Games Association referee. Formerly a pentathlete, he enjoys swimming, especially outdoors and has competed in the European Masters 5km Open Water event (Lake Bled, 2018).