Keith Wood, Partner, Serious Fraud & Crime Defence Lawyer In London

Date of admission: 1996

SERIOUS CRIME AND FRAUD DEFENCE AND REGULATORY SPECIALIST RECOMMENDED IN THE LEGAL 500 TOP TIER FIRMS 2024. HAS BEEN INCLUDED IN THE GUIDE SINCE 2020.

AREAS OF SPECIALISATION

• Serious Fraud
• Serious Crime Defence

With decades of defending Serious organised crime and serious fraud cases behind him, Keith has an excellent reputation for his client care and immaculate case preparation.

He deals in particular with NCA prosecutions and excels in cases involving organised crime groups and lengthy, multi defendant prosecutions.

POCA (PROCEEDS OF CRIME ACT)

He is one of the leading POCA specialists in the UK, having acted in the longest running POCA case to date.

Highly respected for his pro-active and efficient approach to these cases, he achieves excellent results. He advises in both pre charge investigation stage where assets have been restrained, and post conviction. He has successfully dealt with a number of applications to increase available amounts from historic cases and has acted in a number of cash forfeiture applications

REGULATORY PRACTICE

Keith represents Company Directors facing Disqualification, Companies facing large-scale Trading Standards investigations and prosecutions.

Additionally  he advises landlords facing HMO and enforcement proceedings, planning enforcement issues, Covid loan investigations and prosecutions, HSE ( Health and safety ) Environmental, and Food safety investigations.

TESTIMONIALS

A former client has described Keith in his biography as being “ a pugnacious straight-talking lawyer but always able to offer a solution to a problem”

Described by one leading barrister as “going the extra mile and never gives up”

RECENT AND CURRENT CASES OF NOTE:

Keith acted for one of the principles in the Essex lorry case in which tragically 39 people lost their lives.

R v C

Keith acted for sole defendant charged in a Ponzi scheme prosecuted by City of London  Fraud Squad. This was a most complex case with the investigation spanning some 6 years, having commenced in 2015. The case received extensive national and international media attention. The defendant remains at large having absconded during trial.

R v A

Acted for a defendant in a huge money laundering operation that involved the transit from the UK to Dubai of over £100 million. Multi handed case involving several trials.

R v M

Acted for one of the UK’s most wanted fugitives who had been on the run for over 20 years in connection with a murder torture.

R v W

Instructed in substantial multi handed drug conspiracy case concerning the interception of the principal OCG operating in the North Yorkshire area. This is an “encro chat” case focusing upon the supply of drugs and associated money laundering of the OCG across Yorkshire. Keith is instructed by the principle defendant.  Our client is said to launder the proceeds through his extensive portfolio of business and property interests for the group.  Having drawn the attention of the investigating team to the ongoing IPT hearings the defendant has been extensively bailed.

R v P and others

Instructed in a multi handed trading standards fraud in which it is alleged that the organisation under invest was involved in large scale substandard supply of services and intimidation of customers who refuse to pay or threatened to report them.

R v V

Advising finance director of Insurance company in connection with alleged fraud by falsely issuing policies. This case is highly sophisticated as it involves the suggestion that entirely fictitious policy documents were created and sent to customers with the premiums being diverted into other offshore accounts controlled by the defendant who was the head of finance at the company. In addition to this “real” policies were subjected to fraudulent claims allegedly conducted and manufactured including the creation of “crime numbers” by the employee under suspicion. This case and its complexities has led to lengthy pre charge engagement between the parties in order to understand the respective cases.

R v L:

Keith has just been instructed in a significant and substantial Encro chat prosecution alleged to be multiple shipments of class A drugs, as much as 1000kgs is being alleged based on the prosecutions analysis of the chat between the Encro handles. Case due to be tried at the Crown court in October 2024. Central to the case is the issue of attribution and the reliability of evidence obtained by the infection of the device

R v Q

Keith acts for one of 14 charged in a high profile trading standards prosecution. This case is re listed for trial in October 2024, the first trial having been stayed by the trial judge, but in a landmark decision by the Court of Appeal reinstated the matter. (R v AUH  U& Ors EWCA 2022 CRIM 1113)

Case concerns an allegation of conspiracy to defraud individuals by operating a bogus model agency. Individuals from across England, many of whom were teenagers, were invited through advertising on social media and the like to send in photographs of themselves. The accused suggested to the individuals that they had been specially selected to attend a free test shoot. When the individuals attended the test shoots, it is alleged that they were subjected to high pressure sales techniques to persuade them to pay for digital photographs for their portfolio, which was a prerequisite to joining the model agency and their becoming professional models The losses run to several million, with the proceeds being dispersed to overseas bank accounts.

R v B

Keith is assisting Jeffrey in a complex investigation into our client who was a director of a UK utilities company. This is a very detailed and significant investigation into alleged fraudulent activity over a number of years.

R v E

Acting for an energy company facing an investigation into the mis-selling of products and services.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

• Fraud
• Criminal Litigation
• Financial Crime

NEWS ARTICLES

• Confidentiality Clauses. Changes with effect from the 1st October 2025