Crown Court

At OWN Solicitors our Crown Court Department defends against the most serious allegations, including murder, sexual offences, perverting the course of justice, drug offences, complex frauds and assaults.

We fully appreciate that the consequences of appearing in Crown Court can be grave, and for those not familiar with the process, the experience can be confusing and traumatic. Before your first hearing in the Crown Court, OWN Solicitors will instruct an experienced Advocate to vigilantly represent you from the select number of Chambers briefed by our firm. You will also have a dedicated Paralegal caseworker at OWN Solicitors to work directly with you and Counsel. This guarantees that you always have a point of contact within our firm for any queries or concerns you may have, and also ensures your case is presented persuasively and thoroughly to the Court.

Whether you are on bail or in custody, we adopt the same detailed, professional and thorough approach to our case preparation. We are passionately committed to protecting your interests at the Crown Court, providing support and guidance whilst vigorously defending your case.

Often people convicted of an offence in the Crown Court may seek an opinion from a different solicitor than the one who represented them at trial. Should you be dissatisfied by your result in the Crown Court, OWN Solicitors can also assist in seeking an appeal against conviction and/or sentence. We represent in appellate matters both on a privately funded basis and under the Legal Aid advice and assistance scheme where applicable.

Complex Crime and Fraud

Assisted by other lawyers in the firm, Steve Garratt often conducts and supervises serious criminal cases, including cases of complex fraud.

Steve and the department have successfully defended a vast number of high profile and complex criminal cases including cases of substantial fraud and murder.

Instructions include acting on behalf of a former Member of Parliament, defending allegations that he submitted fraudulent claims for parliamentary expenses; representing a Company Director of a PLC in a large-scale fraud brought by the Financial Conduct Authority, involving allegations that he misled the market and assisting the alleged accountant for a London crime family in relation to multimillion pound confiscation proceedings.

Other recent instructions include acting on behalf of a Financial Advisor in relation to a multimillion pound Ponzi scheme and on behalf of Ben Field’s co-defendant who was acquitted of double murder allegations, as featured in the Channel 4 documentary, ‘catching a killer’.