Louis Maskell

CRIMINAL DEFENCE AND PROSECUTION

Louis accepts instructions for both the defence and the prosecution in criminal matters. Louis has been instructed in a wide range of criminal cases, including drug trafficking, serious violence, money laundering, and firearms. As an approved case presenter, Louis has also represented the NMC in a number of substantive hearings.

 
RECENT CASES – GENERAL CRIME

R v SL & JB (Kingston Upon Thames Crown Court): Louis prosecuted this trial lasting seven-days, in which both defendants were charged with a knife-point robbery of a taxi-driver in the early hours of the morning. Both defendants were unanimously convicted. 
 
R v JS & JH (Woolwich Crown Court): Louis prosecuted this trial lasting 9 days, in which both defendants were convicted of affray, following an incident involving the victim being chased in the street and attacked with a machete.
 
R v HR (Kingston Upon Thames Crown Court): Louis prosecuted this three-day trial in which the defendant was charged with being concerned in the supply of cocaine. The prosecution case was that the defendant was involved in couriering over a kilogram of cocaine. The defendant said that he was an unwitting participant and just a taxi driver. The Crown’s case heavily relied on messages between two people, neither of which were the defendant, in which the collection and sale of multiple kilograms of illicit substances was arranged. The defendant was unanimously convicted.
 
R v MG (Winchester Crown Court): Louis prosecuted this five-day trial where the defendant was charged with being concerned in the production of cannabis. The defendant was in the country illegally and relied on the Modern Slavery Act defence. The defendant was unanimously convicted.
 
R v MSG (Inner London Crown Court): Louis represented a defendant charged with assaulting three officers, with one suffering actual bodily harm. The trial lasted four days and involved cross-examination of the three officers, in which Louis highlighted inconsistencies and mistakes. The defendant was unanimously acquitted on all three counts.
 
R v TM (Woolwich Crown Court): Louis represented a defendant charged with possession of a hunting knife in public. The trial lasted three days and the defence was that the knife was possessed for a good reason, namely the defendant was an amateur actor, and the knife was going to be a prop for an anti-knife crime film. The defence provided evidence of the defendant’s acting career and anti-crime projects aimed at young children that he had been involved with. The defendant was unanimously acquitted on the single count.
 
R v ZA (Reading Crown Court): Louis represented a defendant charged with dangerous driving. The Crown alleged that the defendant completed a dangerous manoeuvre which resulted in him colliding into a motorcyclist causing them injury. The defendant accepted that he collided with the motorcyclist but said that it was the bike who created the danger. After a three-day trial, the defendant was acquitted of the single count and the lesser offence of driving without due care and attention.
 
R v AJ (Guildford Crown Court): Louis represented a defendant charged with causing around £250,000 damage to an aircraft. After weaknesses in the Crown’s case were highlighted, no evidence was offered at trial.
 
R v SM (Harrow Crown Court): Louis represented a defence charged with criminal damage and racially aggravated assault. The defendant had brain damage and also suffered from several mental health issues. Louis made a submission of no case to answer, highlighting key flaws in the Crown’s case. The submissions were successful, and the defendant was acquitted of all counts.
 
R v SM (Canterbury Crown Court): Louis represented a defendant charged with three counts of theft from their employer. The offences were said to have occurred at a time when the defendant was subject to a suspended prison sentence they received from a previous theft from a different employer. After a trial lasting three days, the defendant was unanimously acquitted of all counts.

 
RECENT CASES – SERIOUS AND ORGANISED CRIME

R v GB, JF, JR & JM (Woolwich Crown Court): Louis was a led junior in this four-defendant, firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life trial. The case concerned four young males who were stopped in a taxi, inside which a loaded firearm was found. All four denied having knowledge of the firearm. Prior to the close of the Crown’s case, leading counsel was unable to continue, and Louis prosecuted the remainder of the trial. All four defendants were unanimously convicted.
 
R v ZZ, IS & DK (Snaresbrook Crown Court): Louis was a led junior (to John Clifford) in this case which concerned a conspiracy to supply a variety of drugs on the dark web. All three defendant’s entered pleas of guilty to the majority of the indictment at trial.
 
R v CC (Portsmouth Crown Court): Louis represented a defendant charged with wounding with intent, following an allegation that he stabbed an individual during a fight. The defendant did not deny that he was involved in a fight and that the complainant had injuries consistent with a blade, but he said these were not caused by him. After a three-day trial, which involved evidence from the complainant and eyewitnesses, the jury unanimously acquitted the defendant in under 30 minutes.
 
R v JO (Canterbury Crown Court): Louis represented a defendant who originally faced an eight-count indictment, including offences such as kidnapping, making a threat to kill and controlling and coercive behaviour. At trial, the Crown proceeded with seven of the counts. After Louis cross-examined the victim, the Crown made concessions and accepted a plea to one of the counts, offering no evidence to the rest.
 

RECENT CASES FRAUD AND FINANCIAL CRIME

R v JJ-B (Snaresbrook Crown Court): Louis prosecuted this four-day money laundering trial which concerned the defendant acquiring £20,000 from the fraud of an elderly victim who was defrauded out of £280,000 in total. At trial, Louis called a voice recognition expert in relation to calls made between an individual and the defendant’s bank. The defendant was unanimously convicted of the single count.
 
R v AN (Snaresbrook Crown Court): Louis was instructed to prosecute this NCA case involving the defendant being found in possession of close to £400,000 cash. The defendant pleaded guilty to possession of criminal property

RECENT CASES - REGULATORY

NMC v SH: Louis represented the NMC in this eleven-day substantive hearing which concerned in total 29 allegations, most of which related to the Nurse’s treatment of, and behaviour towards, a vulnerable care home resistant. Misconduct and impairment of fitness to practice were found and a striking off order was made.
 
NMC v MB: Louis represented the NMC in an eight-day substantive hearing that concerned 10 charges, including charges of dishonesty. Misconduct and impairment of fitness to practice was found and a striking-off order was made.
 
NMC v AO: Louis represented the NMC in an eleven-day substantive hearing that concerned 19 charges, with a mixture of lack of competence and misconduct charges. Lack of competence and misconduct were found, and the nurse’s fitness to practice was found to be impaired. A 12-month suspension order was imposed.
 
NMC v NZ: Louis represented the NMC in a four-day substantive hearing with several charges relating to the harassment of a colleague. The nurse was found to have acted with sexual motivations.  Misconduct and impairment of fitness to practice were found, and a striking-off order was made.
 
NMC v HT: Louis represented the NMC in a five-day hearing. The nurse faced charges relating to dishonestly doctoring a training certificate. The charges were proved, misconduct and impairment were found, and a striking-off order was made.
 
NMC v HC: Louis represented the NMC in a ten-day hearing. The nurse faced several charges, spanning over a year, which concerned lack of competence in areas such as patient care, patient handling and medication administration. Lack of competence and impairment were found and a conditions of practice order was made.

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

CPS Level 3 Panel Advocate
Nursing and Midwifery Council – Authorised Case Presenter
Government Legal Department ‘junior junior’
Criminal Bar Association
Middle Temple

OTHER

Louis is also on the Government Legal Department ‘junior junior’ list and has been instructed by the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority
 
Prior to joining 9 King’s Bench Walk as a pupil in 2019, Louis was a County Court Advocate, regularly appearing in various courts across the South of England. Louis dealt with a wide range of civil matters such as landlord and tenant matters, mortgage possessions, bankruptcy proceedings, return of goods hearings, and case management hearings. In addition to these, Louis frequently represented parties in small claims trials.