Overview of Practice

Nicholas prosecutes the most serious and complex criminal cases, almost exclusively as Leading Junior or as Junior Alone. He is a Level 4 prosecutor and member of the CPS Rape and Serious Sexual Offences, Serious Crime and Counter-Terrorism Panels. He receives instructions in relation to investigations conducted by the NCA, the Metropolitan Police Serious Crime Directorate, the Flying Squad and other specialist units.

Recent cases include conspiracies to import huge quantities of Class A drugs, attempted murders, firearms offences, armed robberies, sophisticated conspiracies to steal high-value motor vehicles and very serious sexual offending. He is instructed to appear against KCs and in cases that attract substantial media attention, including those involving well-known celebrities. An ability to condense detail, tease out and emphasise salient aspects in complicated, data-driven prosecutions means that Police officers regularly request that Nicholas be instructed on subsequent cases.

Before developing his prosecution practice, Nicholas regularly appeared for the Defence in similar cases as sole Counsel, including allegations of murder, attempted murder, blackmail, robberies with firearms, conspiracies to supply Class A drugs and serious sexual offending. He often appeared in the Court of Appeal, successfully appealing against conviction and sentence. Due to the quality of his arguments, the Registrar instructed him to represent previously unrepresented defendants who had been granted leave to appeal.

Nicholas has particular expertise in the examination and cross-examination of expert and vulnerable witnesses and has conducted confiscation proceedings involving figures in excess of one million pounds.