LLB (Hons) Law, Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test (admission as a Solicitor), Diploma in Oil & Gas Law.

Paul Brooks is a specialist criminal practitioner and is now regularly instructed as leading junior counsel. He has acted in the whole range of criminal trials including murder, fraud, large-scale drugs conspiracies and offences involving serious violence. Paul also appears in Inquests, particularly those connected with deaths in police custody and he appeared in the first inquest brought under the auspices of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (Inquest into the death of Kebba Jobe- St Pancras Coroner’s Court- March 2005).

Although Paul does not ordinarily prosecute cases he has been instructed by the CPS specialist casework unit to prosecute a number of cases alleging serious police misconduct and corruption. Paul has also been instructed to defend in cases concerned with animal rights protestors.

Cases of note:

R v DeSilva (conspiracy to commit armed robberies by the “lottery” robbers),

R v McCotter and others (The IRA Whitemoor prison escape),

R v Daley (4 year investigation into large scale conspiracy to supply heroin & cocaine throughout W Yorkshire),

R v Blanchard (ongoing case involving a 3 year investigation into allegations of substantial fraud),

R v Al Ali [2008] EWCA Crim 2186, [2008] WLR(D) 302

This case concerned the issue of the test to be applied by the Court of Appeal when considering whether to grant leave to appeal under Part 9 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003. Paul was successful in resisting the Crown’s application to overturn the terminating ruling of the Crown Court Judge. The Court of Appeal accepted that in deciding whether or not to grant leave to appeal they ought to look rather more widely at the interests of justice than simply considering whether the appeal had a realistic prospect of success.

R v Thompson and Rowe –Old Bailey, 2008.

Paul acted for one of the two defendants charged with the “Sweet Bar” murder. Following written submissions to the Prosecution the crown accepted pleas to manslaughter.