James Scobie KC is a highly experienced leading counsel with a wealth of experience in defending cases of gravity across a broad spectrum of criminal work. He is instructed regularly in cases of murder, armed robbery, multi-handed conspiracies (involving the importation and supplying of Class A drugs) and fraud.
James has extensive experience in defending cases alleging sexual offences, including rape, serious sexual offences against children and the mentally vulnerable. This includes a large-scale paedophile inquiry concerning children's homes in the 1980s and sex offenders using the internet.
He has substantial experience in the Court of Appeal whether with leave or on a pro bono basis. He has appeared at inquests and before Court Martials in Germany and Northern Ireland.
James is ranked as a leading criminal silk in both legal directories.
Criminal Defence
Overview
James is instructed regularly in cases of murder, armed robbery, multi-handed conspiracies (involving the importation and supplying of Class A drugs) and fraud.
He has extensive experience in defending cases alleging sexual offences, including rape, serious sexual offences against children and the mentally vulnerable. This includes a large-scale paedophile inquiry concerning children's homes in the 1980s and sex offenders using the internet.
Notable Cases
Past notable cases can be viewed below. Click here to see a list of recent notable cases.
Murder
Abdul Lounici found Not Guilty of double murder
Following a four week trial, Mr Lounici was acquitted of double murder by the jury in just over an hour on 17th October 2019. He had been on trial for the murders of two young men from Leytonstone in 2014. Shortly after the murders, Mr Lounici had left the country for Algeria, where he remained for five years until he returned to the UK in 2019 in order to "clear his name".
Al Ameri acquitted of murder at the Old Bailey within an hour of the jury retiring
The defendant, Al Ameri, was accused of being party to a drive by shooting in Burnt Oak in broad daylight. His part, all captured on CCTV, was to block traffic from moving to enable his friend and co-accused to approach the victim in his car and his passenger shoot him as he approached the driver's window. The victim was shot in the groin but survived. Both Al Ameri's and the shooter's vehicles sped off in convoy together immediately after the shooting. The driver abandoned his vehicle and was taken by Al Ameri to his home address. The passenger (shooter) in the co-accused's vehicle was never arrested. Both the accused ran defences to the effect that the gunman had acted on a frolic of his own and that there was no joint enterprise for any planned shooting. Both defendants gave evidence in the trial before the Common Serjeant at the Old Bailey. They were acquitted within an hour of the jury retiring. Tom Wainwright of Garden Court Chambers was also instructed in this case.
Sefolli and others acquitted of smuggling 17 Albanian migrants into the UK on a catamaran
The defendant was alleged to be the organiser of a Conspiracy to Facilitate the Unlawful Immigration of 17 Albanians via boat from France to the Chichester area of the South Coast. This was alleged to be a highly organised team with contacts in Albania, France and the UK. The Defendant faced additional charges of employing illegal workers from abroad on his multiple building sites following Immigration Officers' inquiries. The trial lasted 33 days. The defendant gave evidence for over a week and was acquitted on the Facilitation case by the jury. He was convicted of two of the three employee counts and avoided any immediate custodial sentence. His defence in respect of the Facilitation case was that he was duped by a business partner, Steven Jackson, into purchasing the boat used to ferry the 17 people over from France. Defence witnesses were called on his behalf via Skype from Albania and live in court from Gibraltar.
This was a telephone heavy case where the Crown attributed a ‘dirty‘ phone in Northampton to him as it was cell sited and evidentially linked to a shop next to his office. He denied all knowledge of this phone. The trial was made more complicated by the fact that the brother of his partner at work had pleaded guilty to the conspiracy. He too was Albanian and had done work for Mr Sefolli. Jetmir Marku, the building business partner, was also acquitted . His brother, Jimmy Marku had pleaded guilty to the conspiracy. Keir Monteith QC of Garden Court Chambers was also instructed in this case.
Kalif Dibbassey acquitted of murder of fellow prisoner at Wormwood Scrubs
Kalif Dibbassey was acquitted in less than three hours by the jury after a five-week trial, of the murder of Khader Saleh, a fellow convicted prisoner on C Wing in Wormwood Scrubs prison. The Prosecution alleged that Dibbassey lured the deceased into his cell to attack him with a prison-made shank after a period of hostile violence between them. The deceased was part of Somalian gang on the wing who Dibbassey alleged were hostile to him.
Regina v Timi Onyitan and four others
James Scobie QC represented the defendant who was tried with four of his friends for the murder of Joseph Boci in Greenwich following an evening at the North Pole nightclub. The victim was chased by four men, one admitted to be Onyitan, and had his skull shattered by a baseball bat and metal car jack. The baseball bat was taken from Onyitan’s car by one of the co-accused. The incident was witnessed by a number of club users and staff as well as captured in large part on CCTV. It was the defendant’s case that he was one of the chasers but turned back before the attack took place. He admitted driving away two of those who attacked the deceased from the scene, as well as taking them back to collect one of the weapons left behind on the road. He gave evidence and was acquitted of murder and manslaughter.
Regina v Christopher O'Sullivan and one other (Central Criminal Court)
In July 2016 Luther Edwards, 32, was stabbed in Old Ford Road and Cambridge Heath Road, Bethnal Green, before he died an hour later or his injuries.
The Old Bailey heard during a seven-week trial how Luther was killed. Christopher O'Sullivan, one of the co-defendants, was accused of stabbing the deceased after allegedly being supplied a knife by another co-defendant, Kurtis Thomas.
Following painstaking efforts by the prosecution to prove this, Stephen Kamlish QC and James Scobie QC secured an acquittal at the close of the case by the Judge. Far from Kurtis handing a knife to O'Sullivan, they argued, it was O'Sullivan who handed a cigarette to Thomas.
As such, the two co-accused were acquitted of murder and convicted of manslaughter.
Regina v Saddique Kamara and Kevin Aka-Kadjo (Central Criminal Court)
On 10 January 2018 the defendant, Siddique Kamara, alleged to be an elder in a Camberwell gang called Moscow 17, and co-defendant Kevin Aka-Kadjo (a younger member of Moscow 17) were cleared of murder at the Old Bailey. Kamara and Aka-Kadjo were involved in a violent feud with another local gang, Zone 2. Kamara was alleged to be the stabber and to have executed the victim, Abdirahman Mohamed, for apparently laughing at Aka-Kadjo, who was present when he was arrested by the police close to where the deceased lived.
This happened
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Criminal Appeals
Overview
James has substantial experience in the Court of Appeal whether with leave or on a pro bono basis. He has appeared at inquests and before Court Martials in Germany and Northern Ireland.
Notable Cases
Regina v Coatman Central Criminal Court
John Coatman, a former headmaster was spared jail after admitting sexually abusing a 15-year-old boy. He was originally convicted by a jury of those offences and other more serious offences involving the victim. At that stage he was represented by a different legal team. Those convictions were quashed on appeal by the Court of Appeal in April 2017 due to an indictment error .
The case returned to the Old Bailey for a retrial when he was represented by James Scobie QC, instructed by Michael Phillips of Andrew Storch Solicitors. On this occasion the defendant offered pleas to the less serious part of the indictment, which were accepted by the Crown Court. The case has been reported in the media, including in the BBC.
R v A and others Inner London
Gang of schoolboys falsely imprisoned and sexually assaulted schoolgirl on school premises. Originally indicted on attempted rape. Guilty pleas on lesser charges for all accused and all successfully appealed their sentences before the Court of Appeal.
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Financial Crime and Confiscation
Overview
Past notable cases can be viewed below. Click here to see a list of recent notable cases.
R v Kokabzadeh and others Northampton Crown Court
Large scale carousel fraud involving multi-millions of VAT. Multi-handed. Defendant successfully applied to dismiss the case. Co-accused were tried and convicted.
R v Anderson Cardiff Crown Court/Cambridge Crown Court
Fraud on Welsh National Assembly and Medical Research Council in Cambridge.
R v Smajlovic Southwark Crown Court
Accountants firm involved in allegation of defrauding Inland Revenue with false claims of on behalf of workers in the building and construction industry.
R v Saunders Guildford Crown Court
Outsourcing VAT Fraud.