Richard Cronin

R v W – Undercover operation by the Police Force of Northern Ireland into large scale money laundering linked to organised people trafficking and dissident groups. Case discharged at committal following successful legal argument. Operation Linear – Led junior for the first defendant in multi-handed child exploitation case. Involving minority groups and very extreme allegations of rape and other sexual degradations; the nature and scale of the case led the court to describe it as exceptional and possibly unique. The defendant was of very low IQ and extremely vulnerable. The case was at the cutting edge of recent developments on vulnerability and involved massive disclosure issues and significant legal complexity. Following successful legal submissions the case was stopped and the defendant acquitted of all charges. Operation Shido – A conspiracy to kidnap and rob an armed drug dealer of £1m worth of cocaine. The case involved extensive communication and undercover surveillance evidence spanning a period of six months. R v T – Eight-handed conspiracy to supply class A drugs. The defendants were alleged to run the biggest class A ‘dealer line’ in East London. Sole counsel for the owner of a house said to be used in the cutting and packaging of drugs. The defendant was arrested in the presence of drugs, bags and scales, which were in the open on the kitchen counter. Acquitted at half-time following successful legal argument. R v A Murder in bookie on the Old Kent Road involving DFA gang. Client acquitetd. R v Tsang & Others – Large-scale conspiracy to supply class A drugs. The case against the defendant relied on observations and significant telephone evidence. R v FB – Successful defence of historic child sex offences with alleged victim a boy at the time but at time of the trial a transgender female. R v A Croydon CC Two week trial. Petrol bomb attack at night on house and motor vehicle parked outside, occupied by mother with children and grandchildren who were all in bed. Defendant allegedly identified by two of those inside the premises committing the act. Background to attack centred around alleged underage sexual relationship between A’s daughter and the partner of one of the mother’s daughters who had moved into the premises after a spate of attacks by unknown individuals at another address they lived at. Alleged history of telephone, text and direct threats of serious violence on the family by A over many months meant very close analysis was needed of the principal eye witness’s phone download. This was not disclosed without considerable argument in court as to its relevance. Once disclosed, it revealed a very different life lived by the main eye witness than the one set out in her witness statement. It gave support to A’s defence that he had been deliberately framed to prevent him taking his daughter to the police to expose the illegal relationship. The target of the attack was also revealed in cross examination to have others wanting to harm him. He had large unpaid drug debts and his dealers were now after him. The main identifying witness was cross examined for three days due to the amount of material that was relevant in the download. Her 15-year-old daughter also gave evidence purporting to identify A. Due to fundamental contradictions between the three main witnesses, the police evidence and the telephone download a submission of no case to answer under the second limb of Galbraith was made and upheld by the trial Judge. Jury ordered to deliver verdicts of not guilty on the two counts. R v MD– defendant in conspiracy to import automatic weapons – “largest ever UK seizure”. R.v. Fatmir Dragoshi – Canterbury Crown Court 2019 The defendant was accused of a conspiracy to “people smuggle” Albanian Nationals across the Channel from France. The defendant was acquitted.

• R v G – large scale tax fraud –  Northampton Crown Court – not guilty
• R v S – large scale tax fraud – Southwark CC – not guilty
• R v A – murder – Old Bailey – not guilty
• R v W – undercover investigation dissidents in the North of Ireland – not guilty
• R v W – conspiracy to supply Class A drugs – Croydon CC – not guilty
• R v A – arson with intent to endanger life – Croydon CC – not guilty
• R v G Operation Lipari –firearms conspiracy – Old Bailey – not guilty
• R v R – GBH and false imprisonment – Kingston CC – not guilty
• R v E – rape – Kingston CC – not guilty
• R v W – attempted murder – Inner London CC – not guilty
• R v G – money laundering – Croydon CC – not guilty
• R v B – GBH – Reading CC – not guilty
• R v R – rape –not guilty
• R v T – Firearms – Old Bailey – not guilty
• R v JF – football related violence – Blackfriars CC – not guilty
• R v R – football related violence – Harrow CC – not guilty

R v Koka -Attempted murder of a barber in a barber shop. after argument where the barber was stabbed multiple time. Client found not guilty following trial of self defence