The judges not only respect him but listen to him intently. As an advocate, he is someone we all aspire to be." "The perfect jury advocate.
Chambers UK 2021

Patrick Harrington QC

Called in 1973
Silk in 1993

Patrick Harrington QC was called to the Bar (Gray’s Inn) in 1973 and took silk in 1993. He was appointed an Assistant Recorder in 1985 and a Recorder in 1991. As a junior barrister he practised from chambers in Cardiff but after a successful first year in silk was invited to join the Chambers of Lord Williams of Mostyn QC at Farrar’s Building from where Patrick has practised ever since; he took over as Head of Chambers in 2005.

Patrick has an established practice in the most serious and high profile criminal cases. He has appeared in over 250 homicide cases with an almost equal division between prosecution and defence. Although he continues to conduct homicide and other cases normally categorised as ‘general crime’, in recent years the bias of his practice has turned to financial crime. This is an area of work familiar to him but has now become a predominant part of his practice.

He is also instructed in Health & Safety cases having appeared in multiple death cases as well as cases such as R v Porter.

The Chambers & Partners Directory 2018 ranks Patrick Harrington in Band 1 for Crime (General) and Financial Crime.

Over the years he has been consistently highly ranked in the Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500 directories.

Crime

R v Baines (Mold Crown Court). Defence of one of two men charged with a drug turf war murder.
R v Bickley (Mold Crown Court). Defence of man charged with murder of his housemate and attempted murder of three members of her family
R v Cooper (Mold Crown Court). Defence of man charged with murder of his estranged partner and wounding with intent of a man who came to her aid.
R v Farnham (Bristol Crown Court). Defence of man charged with the stabbing murder of a neighbour.
R v Jones (Winchester Crown Court). Defence of one of two defendants charged with the murder of an Albanian drug dealer.
R v Jones (Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court). Prosecution of a paranoid schizophrenic who attempted to murder his partner’s son.
R v Hough (Mold Crown Court). Historic murder of 15 year old girl allegedly committed in 1976.
R v H & Ors (Operation Bulkhead) (2016): Prosecution of five defendants charged with an alleged film tax fraud by ‘sideways relief’. Estimated to last up to six months.
R v Morgan (Newport Crown Court). Defence of multi millionaire property developer charged with the murder of his ‘girlfriend’, an escort for whom he had provided a lavish lifestyle.
R v MC (Birmingham Crown Court). Defence of a man charged with the murder of a Romanian sex worker.
R v AM (Mold Crown Court). Defence of a man charged with a drug related murder.
R v JPT and KS (Swansea Crown Court). Prosecution of two defendants charged with murder of a 43 year old taxi driver in the first defendant’s home.
R v SJ (Newport Crown Court). Defence of a 27 year old mother charged with the attempted murder of two of her three children.
Operation Valgus – Part 3 (2014): Prosecution of sole remaining defendant in this long running case.
R v P [Swansea Crown Court] (2014): Successfully represented a solicitor charged with money laundering in a dismissal application at the Swansea Crown Court. A conjoined argument with two other solicitors led to the charges being dismissed.
R v Evans [ERIC] 1 WLR 2817 (2014): Successfully represented a senior solicitor charged with conspiracy to defraud arising from a complex land transaction involving restoration obligations at open cast mining sites. Patrick was first instructed in 2010; he led John de Wall QC, and Ben Douglas Jones, instructed by Phil Williams of Blackfords, Cardiff throughout the very complex proceedings. After a week of submissions, Hickinbottom J acceded and dismissed the charge.
R v Evans [ERIC] (2014): Successfully represented the same solicitor in resisting an application by the SFO in the SFO’s application for a Voluntary Bill of Indictment. After two weeks of argument before Fulford LJ, (sitting as a Judge of the High Court) he reserved judgment and later handed down judgement dismissing the application. The same legal team acted for Eric Evans.
R v Beadell [Chester Crown Court, Jay J] (2014): Represented a 22 year old man jointly charged with a drug related stabbing murder. The same defendant were also charged with firearms offences. Beadell and another were convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a tariff of 27 years.
R v Hope & Richards [CA Thomas CJ, Wyn Williams & Phillips JJ Sitting At Cardiff] (2014): Representing the prosecution in resisting appeals and an application for leave in relation conviction and appeals against sentences of life imprisonment with forty year tariffs arising from convictions for murder: application and appeals refused.
R v Johnson [Birmingham Crown Court] (2014): Successful resolution of a long standing Proceeds of Crime application for a defendant previously convicted of money laundering.
R v Morris [Shrewsbury Crown Court] (2014): Successful defence of a farmer charged with assault following a shooting party in Shropshire. The complainant, a lawyer, suffered a bilateral fractured jaw.
R v Mills [Newport Crown Court] (2014): Defence of a man charged with three counts of murder by arson of his girlfriend, his child and his girlfriend’s mother. Convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment with a tariff of 35 years. Responded to a subsequent Attorney General’s Reference where Thomas CJ increased the tariff to 35 years.
R v Hope & Richards (2012): Prosecution, with Roger Griffiths, of two me charged with the contract killing of a seventeen year old student and the attempted murder of his parents. The drug fuelled killers went to the wrong address and attacked the victims with knives. An earlier trial had been aborted; this trial lasted five months.

Criminal Fraud

Operation Lunar (Birmingham Crown Court). Representing first of ten defendants charged with investment fraud to the extent of £150m. Case dismissed after legal submissions. Prosecution’s expressed intention to seek a voluntary bill of indictment abandoned after six months’ reconsideration
R v G (Hull Crown Court). Ten week fraud trial where client was the principal defendant in a property fraud.
R v W. Defence of one of nine defendants charged with dealing in criminal property: in essence an allegation of fraud involving a seven figure sum.
Operation Bulkhead [Birmingham Crown Court] (2016): Prosecuting a six month £100 million film fraud case with 4 defendants and over 50, 000 pages of served evidence. The case was described during sentencing by the Judge as “one of the most difficult and complicated cases presented at the Bar.” All four were found guilty of conspiracy to cheat the public revenue and sentenced to a total of 29 years.
R v Simon Drew [Birmingham Crown Court] (2014): Successfully represented an independent financial adviser charged with 34 counts of investment fraud to the value of £15m; led Shawn Williams throughout a 4½ month trial; Simon Drew was acquitted on all counts.
Operation Valgus [CA Pitchford LJ, Openshaw J & Judge Deborah Taylor] (2014): Represented the Prosecution Respondent, together with Ben Douglas Jones, in resisting appeals against conviction by a solicitor and a property developer co defendant for their convictions for conspiracy to defraud. Sentence appeals by three appellants were heard in the same proceedings, all but one of which were refused.
Operation Valgus – Part 2 (2013/2014): Prosecution, with Ben Douglas Jones, of 7 defendants indicted in Part 2 of a massive mortgage fraud. All pleaded guilty (at earlier hearings) either as indicted or with alternative offences.
Operation Valgus – Part 1 (2013): Prosecuted, with Ben Douglas Jones, six defendants charged with conspiracy to defraud arising from a massive mortgage fraud involving 800 residential properties in North Wales and elsewhere. A five month trial, which resulted in the conviction of five defendants.

Health & Safety

R v TJ Smith Contracting Limited (Exeter Crown Court).
TJ Smith Contracting Limited was charged with offences under sections 2 and 3 of the Health and Safety Act 1974. The company operated Mobile Elevated Working Platforms (commonly known as “cherry pickers”) as part of its decorating business. In December 2014 one platform toppled over, throwing clear one worker who was not harnessed but causing a crash injury to a worker who was wearing an appropriate harness. Although he did not suffer serious injuries he subsequently died of an embolism. At trial the defence successfully argued that as there was no causation between any fault of the defendant company and the death evidence of the fatality should be excluded. Although the company was convicted of both counts the modest fine imposed reflected the lack of culpability for the death.
R v DL [Cardiff Crown Court] (2010): Represented, with Carwyn Cox, a Company charged with Health and Safety offences arising from a fatal accident at a water pumping station. The case was stayed as an abuse of process after lengthy arguments.
R v Fryer [Sheffield Crown Court] (2009).
Donald Fryer was the captain of a North Sea rig support vessel. When leaving port the anchor was hauled in and the anchor chain held within a chain locker. If unrestrained the chain rattled and disturbed crewmembers especially when they were trying to sleep. One crewmember opened the chain locker hatch intending to tie the chain down: he did not realise the toxic air within the chamber and within seconds of entering collapsed dead. A colleague entered the locker intent on rescue: he too collapsed dead within seconds. A third colleague suffered precisely the same fate. Donald Fryer was charged with the marine equivalent of manslaughter. After a three-week trial at Sheffield Crown Court he was acquitted of all three counts.
R v Reed [Cardiff Crown Court, Pitchford J] (2009):
With Carwyn Cox, successful defence of a company employee charged with manslaughter following a fatal accident at a water pumping station.
R v Porter (2008): Philip Porter was the proprietor of a private school in Bangor, North Wales catering for children aged three upwards. The school building was not purpose built. A four-year-old child jumped down the last few stone steps of a perfectly safe set of steps in the school playground. He fell, banged his head and tragically died of his injuries. Mr Porter was prosecuted, personally, for alleged breaches of the Health and Safety Act 1974. At the conclusion of his trial at Mold Crown Court, to the surprise of many, he was convicted. On appeal to the Court of Appeal (Moses LJ) his appeal against conviction was allowed. The case is extensively quoted in academic and other learned articles as authority for the proposition that it is unreasonable to expect all risk to be avoided. Please read the article on this case in the New Law Journal.
R v Barton: The defendant was a CORGI registered gas fitter. He carried out a service on a gas boiler in a house in Derbyshire. A week later a 15-year-old girl whose school had closed for the day because of a heavy snowfall met up with her older boyfriend at the house. Whilst occupied upstairs they each died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
The defendant was prosecuted for alleged offences under the Health and Safety Act.
At his trial at Nottingham Crown Court a jury failed to agree.
The retrial took place and again the jury failed to agree.
The prosecution then offered no further evidence and not guilty verdicts were entered.

Notable Cases

R v Peter Morgan (Newport Crown Court)
Defence of multi millionaire property developer charged with the murder of his 'girlfriend', an escort for whom he had provided a lavish lifestyle.

Operation Bulkhead (2016)
Prosecuting a six month £100 million film fraud case with 4 defendants and over 50, 000 pages of served evidence. The case was described during sentencing by the Judge as "one of the most difficult and complicated cases presented at the Bar." All four were found guilty of conspiracy to cheat the public revenue and sentenced to a total of 29 years.

R v Simon Drew (2014)
Successfully represented an independent financial adviser charged with 34 counts of investment fraud to the value of £15m; led Shawn Williams throughout a 4½ month trial; Simon Drew was acquitted on all counts.

R v P (2014)
Successfully represented a solicitor charged with money laundering in a dismissal application at the Swansea Crown Court. A conjoined argument with two other solicitors led to the charges being dismissed.

R v Evans [ERIC] 1 WLR 2817 (2014)
Successfully represented a senior solicitor charged with conspiracy to defraud arising from a complex land transaction involving restoration obligations at open cast mining sites. Patrick was first instructed in 2010; he led John de Wall QC, and Ben Douglas Jones, instructed by Phil Williams of Blackfords, Cardiff throughout the very complex proceedings. After a week of submissions, Hickinbottom J acceded and dismissed the charge.

R v Evans [ERIC] (2014)
Successfully represented the same solicitor in resisting an application by the SFO in the SFO's application for a Voluntary Bill of Indictment. After two weeks of argument before Fulford LJ, (sitting as a Judge of the High Court) he reserved judgment and later handed down judgement dismissing the application. The same legal team acted for Eric Evans.

R v Beadell (2014)
Represented a 22 year old man jointly charged with a drug related stabbing murder. The same defendant were also charged with firearms offences. Beadell and another were convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a tariff of 27 years.

R v Hope & Richards (2014)
Representing the prosecution in resisting appeals and an application for leave in relation conviction and appeals against sentences of life imprisonment with forty year tariffs arising from convictions for murder: application and appeals refused.

Operation Valgus - Part 3 (2014)
Prosecution of sole remaining defendant in this long running case.

Operation Valgus - Part 2 (2013/2014)
Prosecution, with Ben Douglas Jones, of 7 defendants indicted in Part 2 of a massive mortgage fraud. All pleaded guilty (at earlier hearings) either as indicted or with alternative offences.

Operation Valgus - Part 1 (2013)
Prosecuted, with Ben Douglas Jones, six defendants charged with conspiracy to defraud arising from a massive mortgage fraud involving 800 residential properties in North Wales and elsewhere. A five month trial, which resulted in the conviction of five defendants.

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If you would like to instruct Patrick Harrington QC or would like help or advice in doing so, please call and talk to our excellent clerking team, led by Chief Executive, Alan Kilbey MBE. Our phone number is +44 (0)20 7583 9241. Alternatively, please email us at chambers@farrarsbuilding.co.uk

For more information about our clerking team, please click here for the clerks page.

Appointments & Memberships

Recorder of the Crown Court
Bencher of Gray’s Inn
Former Leader of the Wales & Chester Circuit
Former Vice President of the National Anti-Doping Panel
Protector of the Millennium Awards Trust
Protector of the Legacy Trust
Criminal Bar Association
Sports Law Association
London Commercial & Common Law Bar Association
Wales & Chester Circuit Criminal Law Association
Ebbw Vale Rugby Football Club
Glamorgan County Cricket

Education & Qualifications

MA, in English Literature, University of Wales
LLB (Hons), Birmingham College of Commerce
Ebbw Vale Grammar School

Directory Quotes

Patrick Harrington QC is listed as a leading silk for crime in both Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500.

“The judges not only respect him but listen to him intently. As an advocate, he is someone we all aspire to be. He has a good command of language and he is always interesting to watch. He has a very gentle delivery – the perfect jury advocate.”

Chambers UK 2021, Crime

A hugely experienced barrister on the Wales and Chester Circuit with significant experience in fraud and murder cases and who is highly praised by his peers.
“It is difficult to find a silk with more class or better forensic judgement.”
Recent work: Prosecuted a paranoid schizophrenic for the attempted murder of his partner’s son.
Chambers UK 2019, Crime

“He is very experienced and gets good results.” “He is diligent and well organised.”
Recent work: Acted for the first defendant in Operation Lunar, a £100 million-plus alleged tax fraud.
Chambers UK 2019, Financial Crime

Renowned for his skill in handling the prosecution and defence of high-value financial crime, including alleged tax frauds related to film finance, mortgages and carbon credits.

Strengths: “One of the best jury advocates in the UK in my opinion. Juries just love him. He plays the jury like a really good musician; he knows exactly what’s right for the jury, strips the case down to bare essentials whether prosecuting or defending a serious crime, and is very good at pretending to the jury that he’s just coming to terms with the facts of the case as the case is developing, even though you know he’s got an encyclopaedic knowledge of the case.”

Recent work: Acted for the prosecution arising from the Operation Bulkhead investigation, involving a suspected £275 million film finance tax fraud.
Chambers UK 2017

Hugely experienced barrister on the Wales Circuit with significant experience in fraud and murder cases and who is highly praised by his peers.

Strengths: “He’s the top man. No one would say otherwise. He’s very good.”

Recent work: Defended one of nine defendants charged with dealing in criminal property. The case involved the theft and sale from storage sites of BT equipment worth £1 million.
Chambers UK 2017

A vastly experienced advocate who has defended and prosecuted over 200 cases of homicide and fraud in his career. He receives high praise from peers for his expert knowledge in high-profile murder cases.

Strengths: “He is a robust cross-examiner.”

Recent work: Prosecuted a case involving a contract killing, successfully securing the conviction of the two defendants.
Chambers UK 2016

A formidable financial crime silk with significant defence and prosecution experience. He handles high-value criminal fraud matters including major commercial fraud, investment fraud and money laundering matters.

Recent work: Acted in Johnson & Johnson, a multimillion pound fraud involving the concealment of illegally obtained money.
Chambers UK 2016

‘A formidable advocate with a wealth of experience in the criminal courts.’
Legal 500

‘A particularly strong track record in high-profile homicide and fraud cases.’
Legal 500

‘Sought after for his experience on the defence side of multiple death cases.’
Legal 500

‘He combines excellent advocacy skills with iron determination.’
Legal 500 2018

Publications

“A Nutshell on Evidence” (1974)
“The Session Man” (with Bobby Graham)(2004)

Personal Interests

Patrick’s hobbies centre around music and sport and he has a keen interest in classic cars.

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