Crime

The Crime@30 team is one of the strongest and most experienced on the Welsh Circuit. The team handles both prosecution and defence work at all levels of complexity. We are committed to delivering a comprehensive and specialist service in the field of criminal law to all our professional and lay clients.

Members of our team regularly appear in some of the most high profile and complex cases across Wales. The experience and quality of the criminal law practitioners at 30 Park Place has been consistently recognised by Chambers and Partners and the Legal 500. All serious and complicated areas of work such as homicide, serious fraud, confiscation proceedings, serious sexual offences and large-scale drug conspiracies are handled.

In addition to providing a comprehensive service across the Magistrates’ Courts and Crown Courts the team also possess significant appellate experience with members of the team conducting cases all the way through to the Supreme Court. Whilst the focus of the team is on the Welsh Circuit members often appear in cases across the United Kingdom in order to meet the expectations and requirements of our professional clients.

We are committed to the development of team members and the legal profession as a whole and provide training and lectures on all aspects of criminal law. The strength and expertise of our team is demonstrated by the fact that since 1990 twelve members have been awarded Silk and numerous former members have received judicial appointments.

The team and our clerks aim to provide a dedicated, efficient and professional service regardless of the size or nature of the case. We strive to provide consistency of representation wherever possible.

30 Park Place Chambers’ ‘go-to’ criminal team offers clients expertise in relation to a broad range of matters. Peter Donnison is an ‘outstanding advocate‘ whose reputation continues to grow and in 2022 he was appointed both as a grade 4 CPS prosecutor and Deputy District Judge – he is acting for the defence in the Operation Vermont case, in which Andrew Jones is prosecuting. Nigel Fryer and Julia Cox both have considerable experience in relation to sexual abuse and fraud and drugs conspiracy cases. With her ‘calm but incredibly effective presence in the courtroom‘ Caroline Rees KC is regularly instructed by both the prosecution and defence in high-profile murder cases and specialises in cases involving vulnerable witnesses or defendants – she prosecuted the mother, stepfather and stepbrother of Logan Mwangi, who were convicted of the murder of the five year old, in a case involving issues of a child defendant (and related reporting restrictions) and complex medical evidence. Eugene Egan is now a Circuit Judge.- Legal 500, 2024

30 Park Place Chambers is a ‘well established set offering strength in depth in all aspects of criminal law‘. Recent areas of instruction for the team include large-scale drugs conspiracies, serious and historic sexual offences and multi-defendant homicide cases. Caroline Rees KC is a ‘talented advocate‘, and recently prosecuted a man who received a six-year sentence for the gross negligence manslaughter of his partner following consensual sexual activity involving bondage. Nigel Fryer ‘s recent practice involves historic sexual abuse allegations, while Andrew Jones has a strong practice in large-scale drug trafficking matters. - Legal 500, 2023

Considered to be one of the leading criminal sets in South Wales, 30 Park Place Chambers crime team are regularly instructed in some of the region's high-profile and complex cases. Experience of the members stretches all serious areas of work such as homicide, serious fraud, large-scale drug conspiracies, serious sexual offences and confiscation proceedings. Andrew Jones and Nigel Fryer's recent practice involve large-scale drug trafficking matters, while Caroline Rees KC, Julia Cox, and Claire Pickthall have a strong practice in cases involving serious and historic sexual abuse allegations. - Legal 500, 2022

'Considered one of the leading sets for criminal work in Wales, 30 Park Place Chambers's members are sought-after for the most complicated and complex of cases including homicide, serious fraud, substantial drug cases, serious sexual offences as well as proceeds of crime matters. In one matter, Nigel Fryer represented a man who was acquitted of grievous bodily harm and wounding on his partner; part of the defence case suggested the injuries were self-inflicted during "rough sex"' - Legal 500, 2021