Jeffrey Israel

Barrister

Jeffrey Israel is a leading barrister, listed in the Legal 500 directory as well as in Chambers & Partners, specialising in all aspects of criminal law. Jeffrey was shortlisted by the Legal 500 for Crime & Extradition Junior of the year 2022.

Jeffrey has been instructed as both a leading junior and a junior alone in a wide range of serious criminal matters. He is admired for his robust handling of cases and his fearless approach in Court and is highly sought after by private clients, often on Bar Direct Access, enabling him to oversee every aspect of the case. This approach offers particular reassurance to his clients.

Jeffrey is best known for acting on a Bar Direct Access basis in the successful appeal of Alexander Blackman – known as ‘Marine A’, who was convicted of murdering a dying Taliban insurgent whilst on active service in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

As a result of that landmark success he is regularly instructed to conduct appeals in cases where he did not represent defendants at their original trials.

Jeffrey is also highly sought after to represent those who are accused and facing trial. Recent successful instructions include a representing a prominent businessman alleged to have attacked his business partner, a city trader accused of assaulting a doorman, and a garage owner accused of laundering over £6m.

Past cases include representing a former manager of Tottenham Hotspur FC for speeding, defending Tony Blair’s private secretary accused of rape, and defending the vice-chairman of Tottenham for an alleged assault in Harrod’s Food Hall.

In addition, Jeffrey also accepts instructions on Legal Aid in serious cases. Recently these include acting as leading junior in a kidnap and torture case, in a £30m money-laundering case, and a £15m fraud.

Previously Jeffrey has defended in:

An £8m conspiracy to supply heroin;
A large-scale nationwide cocaine conspiracy involving 11 defendants;
A conspiracy to transfer loaded machine-guns by defendants in prison;
A multi-handed murder allegation arising out of a 'drug war' in a case that involved the US authorities;
A multi-million pound SFO case involving the creation of false identities and bank accounts that are then used to defraud HMRC;
The shooting at a uniformed police officer in the course of an armed robbery;
Human-trafficking for the purpose of forced prostitution;
A gang-related firearms case where over 100 guns, grenades, and live ammunition were being supplied across the country;
The murder of a lorry driver in a drunken attack;
The attempted murder of two police officers;
A gangland execution;
The poisoning of a 4-year old by her mother;
A large-scale importation of cocaine from South America.

As well as being a specialist criminal defence barrister, Jeffrey has a particular interest in Civil Actions against the Police, Judicial Reviews and Public Inquests. He is regularly instructed to advise charities such as MENCAP, National Autistic Society and Guide Dogs for the Blind on matters of potential criminal liability, including in Court of Protection proceedings. He has lectured in this field on topics such as ‘Capacity to Consent to Sex, a Civil and a Criminal Perspective’ and as such has particular expertise

Jeffrey is able to accept instructions direct from the public in appropriate cases. For further information in this regard please contact our Clerks.

Jeffrey's Privacy Policy can be downloaded here.

R v W (Court of Appeal): Murder appeal. Jeffrey was privately instructed to advise on appeal post-conviction after the defendant was convicted of the murder of an 87-year-old man by beating him to death during the course of a domestic burglary. His original trial counsel (a KC) had advised that there were no grounds of appeal. Jeffrey reconsidered all of the papers and transcripts and identified 4 separate grounds of appeal. The appeal was successful and a retrial was ordered.
R v S (Central Criminal Court) - Jeffrey was instructed to represent the defendant who was accused of murder in broad daylight following a longstanding feud in front of the deceased’s infant child.
R v B (Court of Appeal) - Jeffrey was instructed via Bar Direct Access in the successful appeal of Alexander Blackman, also known as ‘Marine A’. This case attracted worldwide publicity. He was the first serviceman to have been convicted of murdering an enemy combatant since WWII. In 2014 an appeal by his original legal team was dismissed by the Lord Chief Justice. This was a 3 counsel case where Jeffrey was led by a KC and was leading a 2^nd junior. Together they persuaded the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) that there was ‘fresh evidence’. The case was then referred back to the Court of Appeal where the appeal was successful and the murder conviction was quashed allowing Blackman to be released.
R v K (Central Criminal Court) – Jeffrey was instructed for the first defendant in a gang related murder using a sword of a youth who had allegedly laughed at the defendants a week earlier. The defendant was acquitted of both murder and manslaughter.
R v R (Birmingham Crown Court) - ‘Drive by’ shooting over a drug turf war, possessing loaded shotguns with intent to endanger life and dealing crack cocaine. Jeffrey was defending alone against a KC and a junior and his client was acquitted of all counts.
R v B (Luton Crown Court) - Jeffrey was instructed via Bar Direct Access for the 3^rd defendant who was accused of perverting the course of justice in a case involving the attempted murder by shooting of two police officers. His client was acquitted of all charges.
R v O (Harrow Crown Court) - Jeffrey was instructed to represent the 2^nd defendant in a case with gang affiliations who was accused of possessing loaded guns in a case that ended in a police chase during which the defendants were said to have thrown away the guns. Jeffrey’s client was acquitted of the main allegation.
R v A (Woolwich Crown Court) - Jeffrey was privately instructed to represent the personal private secretary to two Prime Ministers who had been awarded an OBE who was accused of multiple sexual offences, including rape, against a variety of victims.
R v A (Cardiff Crown Court) - Jeffrey was instructed as leading junior counsel of the 2^nd defendant of 13 who were alleged to have kidnapped rival drug dealers before torturing them and demanding a ransom.
R v K (Southwark Crown Court) - Jeffrey was instructed as leading junior counsel for the 2^nd defendant of 6 who were accused of laundering over £20m in fraudulently obtained funds. Jeffrey’s client was acquitted of all counts.
R v B (Inner London Crown Court) - Jeffrey was instructed as leading junior counsel in 9 defendant case involving a 3-year conspiracy to supply drugs across London via couriers disguised as Deliveroo drivers and laundering £5m+.
R v M (Snaresbrook Crown Court) – Jeffrey was instructed for the 2^nd defendant of 3 who were accused of conspiring to possess loaded machineguns and large quantities of Class A drugs. This was an ‘Encrochat’ case where it was alleged that the defendants were using encrypted telephones in the course of their conspiracy. Jeffrey’s client was acquitted of all counts.
R v G (Isleworth Crown Court) - Jeffrey was instructed to defend a mother who was accused of injecting potentially lethal levels of insulin to gain attention from her baby’s father that caused catastrophic permanent brain damage.
R v B (Southwark Crown Court) - Jeffrey was instructed as leading junior counsel in this 5-month trial of a £25m+ diversion fraud by diverting fraudulently obtained monies into the Chinese and Nigerian banking systems
R v M (Newcastle Crown Court) - Jeffrey was instructed to defend a terminally ill young man who killed his best friend with a machete in a drink and drug induced psychotic rage. The case involved complex issues regarding psychiatric evidence concerning diminished responsibility and voluntary intoxication in the context of alcohol dependency syndrome.
R v C (Wood Green Crown Court) - Jeffrey was instructed for the 1^st defendant of 3 who were accused of robbing two girls at knifepoint before proceeding to tie them up and blindfold them before repeatedly raping them.
R v W (Coventry Crown Court) - Jeffrey was instructed to defend one of two brothers who were jointly charged with the murders of two different pensioners in the course of robberies that occurred in their homes.
R v G (Southwark Crown Court) - Jeffrey was instructed to defend the 2^nd of 5 defendants who were accused of a complex multinational money laundering arising out of the sale of £15m worth of counterfeit medication.
R v M (St Alban’s Crown Court) – Jeffrey was instructed as leading junior counsel to represent the 2^nd defendant in an 8-handed trial of ‘steaming’ gang robberies who robbed multiple victims using swords, machetes, knives and other weapons.

R v G, Money Laundering, Southwark Crown Court: Jeffrey was led by a KC in this complex multinational money laundering arising out of the sale of £15m worth of counterfeit medication involving 5 defendants. There was over 90000 pages of served evidence and the Issues included layering of funds around the world through dozens of different companies and multiple international banks. The principal fraud concerned the sale of counterfeit and/or unlicensed medicines throughout the EU. The funds were then funnelled through a number of the defendant's companies to various places around the world. Fake charities were set up and defrauded in order to assist the money laundering. Jeffrey’s client accepted that he had facilitated the transfer of monies through his various businesses but claimed he did this at he behest of a co-defendant as well as another fraudster and that he was duped. The defendant claimed that he understood that the items in question were vitamins that were sold lawfully. He agreed to process the sales through his businesses for a cut of the profits as he already had the facilities in place for credit card payments that he had acquired over the years at a favourable rate. Instructed by David Sonn of Sonn MacMillan Walker.
R v A, Fraud, Southwark Crown Court: Jeffrey acted as leading junior in this 6 defendant £25m+ diversion fraud that lasted 5 months comprising over 250,000 pages of evidence. The defendants were accused of international ‘phishing’ fraud. Vast quantities of banking and telephone evidence as the monies were layered from the UK, on to Nigeria via China, giving rise to multi-jurisdictional issues and disclosure requests. The frauds involved installing malware onto computers to monitor emails, particularly ongoing financial transactions. Fraudulent emails were then sent asking for payments to be made into different bank accounts. Those accounts were created to receive the payments and the funds were immediately diverted, usually abroad. Instructed by Myke Osuji of Equity Law.
R v A, Fraud & Money Laundering Southwark Crown Court: Jeffrey acted as leading junior for the main defendant in this fraud trial that lasted 2 months and involved over 100,000 pages of evidence. The defendants were accused of fraudulently obtaining over £5m and subsequently laundering the proceeds through their business which were said to be nothing more than vehicles set up for that purpose. The evidence involved much fraudulent activity that originated in China and Eastern Europe and detailed forensic accounting reports. Instructed by Hesham Puri of MK Law.
R v N, Fraud, Southwark Crown Court: Jeffrey was led by a KC for the 1^st defendant in this 9-handed trial that lasted over 3 months involving 80,000 pages of evidence. The defendants ran a boiler-room fraud operation out of a hotel room and they were accused of stealing over £10m from vulnerable victims primarily through wine fraud and pyramid selling schemes. The other defendants sought to blame Jeffrey’s client who was the manager of the company claiming that they merely worked there and did not realise they were engaging in fraudulent activities. Jeffrey’s client maintained that the business was a legitimate one throughout and that some disgruntled investors inevitably may have lost money. Instructed by Zahir Ahmed of ABV Solicitors.

Current Instructions

R v C, Money Laundering, Aylesbury Crown Court: Jeffrey has been instructed in this money laundering trial that has a time-estimate of 8 weeks. His client is accused of laundering the proceeds of her two sons’ drug dealing through a business front set up for that purpose and buying a house with the proceeds. Instructed by Max Davies of Sonn MacMillan Walker.