
Warwick Tatford
Experienced, hard-working and reliable.
Prosecutes and defends in all areas of serious crime.
YEAR OF CALL 1993
Education
BA (Oxon) 1st Class (Classics)
CPE
Inns of Court School of Law
Appointments
Appointed to CPS Advocate Panel at level 4
Appointed as a specialist rape prosecutor
Appointed to CPS Fraud Panel
Appointed to CPS Serious Crime Panel
Pupillage Supervisor
Memberships
Criminal Bar Association
South Eastern Circuit

Overview of Practice
Warwick has practised in criminal law for well over 20 years. He prosecutes and defends in a wide variety of serious cases. In recent years, his practice has mainly involved sexual offences and fraud but he also has long experience in cases of murder, drugs and serious violence.
Warwick is a well-respected advocate who is known for his careful preparation and friendly, down-to earth manner.
Warwick also presents and defends disciplinary cases before the BSB, GMC and Law Society.
Practice Areas
‘Warwick’s understated advocacy is always extremely effective.’
Legal 500 (2025)
‘He has a very good manner with juries in closing speeches.’
Legal 500 (2025)
Warwick’s main practice has always been criminal law. He has prosecuted and defended in a wide variety of cases of murder, manslaughter, fraud, drugs, money-laundering, rape and other serious sexual offences. He has considerable expertise in cases involving vulnerable witnesses and intermediaries (prosecuting and defending). He has good experience of cases with complex PII issues.
Warwick has prosecuted and defended in substantial fraud cases. He is currently instructed as Junior Prosecution Counsel in a £44 million VAT fraud.
Many of Warwick’s cases have involved confiscation. He has prosecuted and defended in cases involving contested, high-value confiscation orders. He had also been instructed to appear in the High Court in applications to appoint receivers.
Warwick has prosecuted and defended businesses in cases involving trading standards, pollution, noise abatement, health and safety, planning regulations, advertising regulations and landlord requirements.
Warwick has presented and defended cases before the BSB, Law Society and GMC.
Notable cases
R v Budgen & others – Junior Prosecution Counsel in 5-handed murder. Cross-examined one of the Defendants.
R v Portwine – Junior Prosecution Counsel. Defendant had killed his partner after sexually assaulting and physically degrading her.
R v Johnstone & Meenan – Junior Prosecution Counsel. Defendants had kicked victim to death.
Manslaughter
R v Cook – Junior Prosecution Counsel. Mercy-killing of terminally ill wife.
Serious violence
R v Gall – Junior Prosecution Counsel. Defendant had committed over a 2 year period a series of violent assaults on women who were strangers to him.
Sexual offences
R v Bell – Successfully defended a teacher accused of sexually assaulting a number of pupils.
R v Magboo – Successfully defended man accused of sexual assaults and false imprisonment of his wife.
R v Richardson – Successfully defended man accused of anal rape.
R v Koubar – Successfully prosecuted man accused of stranger rape.
R v Kerner – Successfully prosecuted a teacher who had sexual relationship with a pupil.
Fraud
R v Copp & others – Junior Prosecution Counsel in £44 million VAT fraud. Cross-examined one of the Defendants. 9 week trial.
R v Paryag & others – Prosecuted alone a 6-handed fraud relating to false overtime payments by postmen. 8 week trial.
R v Muhaxheri and others – Prosecuted 3 Defendants accused of conspiracy to defraud in relation to bogus orders of mobile phones and electrical goods. 4 week trial.
R v Whitehouse and Page: – Junior Prosecution Counsel in an £11 million conspiracy to defraud. The case involved the artificial setting of rates of exchange at a Bureau de Change. 2 month trial.
R v Chauhan & others – Junior Defence Counsel in VAT carousel fraud.
Drugs
R v Boyle & others – Prosecuted a 4-handed conspiracy to produce cannabis and transfer criminal property. Case related to a cannabis farm and the money laundered from that industrial-scale operation.
Public Interest Immunity/intrusive surveillance
R v Colman & others – Junior Defence Counsel in 3 month case relating to a series of ram-raid burglaries. The case involved a 2 week legal argument concerning the admissibility of evidence obtained via a covert listening device.
R v Ebcin & others – Junior Prosecuting Counsel. A substantial heroin case in which one Defendant had been a participating informant. Case involved complex PII issues and the calling of evidence from the police handlers of the informant.
Money-laundering
R v Sahut & Cirikka – Successfully defended man accused of being a launderer of £50,000 worth of drugs money.
NEWS STORIES
Warwick Tatford has been ranked in the Legal 500
FCsewAmi9bell2024-01-16T15:31:21+00:00November 8th, 2023|
Richard Jory KC and Warwick Tatford prosecute international drug traffickers
FCsewAmi9bell2024-01-16T15:31:42+00:00March 7th, 2023|
Warwick Tatford has been ranked in the Legal 500
FCsewAmi9bell2024-01-16T15:31:58+00:00December 2nd, 2022|
Conviction in Large Scale Drugs Conspiracy
FCsewAmi9bell2024-01-16T14:56:26+00:00June 9th, 2022|
James Waddington QC and Warwick Tatford prosecuted the case of R v. Copp and others, VAT fraud valued at £44m for which the defendants were sentenced on 9 June 2017.
FCsewAmi9bell2024-01-16T15:32:19+00:00May 22nd, 2017|