Matthew Radstone

Barrister

Matthew specialises in the areas of serious crime, complex fraud and regulatory matters. His reputation is built on his forensic mind, sound tactical judgement and affable approach. He is passionate about his cases and leaves nothing to chance as a result of his meticulous preparation. He is an effective advocate who enjoys submissions involving complex legal argument.

Amongst his cases, he is currently instructed in the FIFA Corruption Case in which he represents the current head of the South American Football Association; he is advising a FTSE 100 Company who are the subject of an SFO investigation in relation to international bribery and corruption; and is representing a former Premier League Footballer charged with Fraudulent Trading. Matthew has also represented the Royal Marine charged with terrorism.

Matthew has written on the subject of ‘ internal investigations and corporate self-reporting’ and has recently had work on this issue published in the Butterworths Journal of International Banking and Financial Law.

His practice is split equally between legal aid work and private work.

Professional Memberships

Human Rights Lawyers Association
Criminal Bar Association
Fraud Lawyers Association (FLA)
Extradition Lawyers Association
Member & Committee's representative of the North London Bar Mess
Proceeds of Crime Lawyers Association (POCLA)
Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers (ARDL)
United Kingdom Environmental Law Association (UKELA)
South Eastern Circuit

Education

BA Hons. (Politics) University of Leeds
CPE City University
BVC Inns of Court School of Law
Awarded Middle Temple Benefactors Scholarship for BVC

Media / Publications

Selected to feature in Radio 5Live’s three part series ‘Raising the Bar’ in which a day in the life of barrister is explored including the anticipation of the very first case on your feet, the pressures of the job while juggling family life, bars to the entry into the profession and the importance of judgment and tactical decision. Listen here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06k9w6b#play
Article in Practical Law’s Corporate Crime section on jury selection and crown court trials.
‘Self reporting and internal investigations: Speak Now of Forever Hold Your Peace’ , JIBFL

Recent Testimonials

"He is fearless and passionate in court and a pleasure to work with." Chambers UK 2025, Financial Crime
"Matthew is excellent with clients and puts even the most nervous at ease." Chambers UK 2025, Financial Crime
"Matthew is really smart, client-friendly and a strategic genius." Chambers UK 2025, Financial Crime
"Matthew is superb advocate, has an excellent manner with clients, prepares to the highest standards and puts it all across in court in an extremely eloquent but not over-the-top manner. He is going far and is definitely a star of the criminal bar." Legal 500 2025, Crime
"Matthew is a remarkably brave and gifted advocate, strategic, clever and great on his feet." Legal 500 2025, Fraud: Crime
"Matthew is extremely thorough, diligent, razor sharp and able to deal with the nitty gritty in all cases. He is a silk in waiting." Legal 500 2024, Crime
"Matt is very calm and thorough. Clients always appreciate his advice" Legal 500 2023, Crime
"Matthew is a barrister of the highest competence which has already seen him instructed as a leading counsel. His dedication to meticulous preparation is second to none. He is a fearless advocate before judge and jury and enshrines the best of the profession in his approach to his conduct in court and in conference with his clients." Legal 500 Crime 2022
"A young, up-and-coming practitioner on the cusp of very good things. Not scared to take on anyone or any point, clients love his "can-do" attitude." Legal 500 2022
"His speeches are a cut above – his clients comment on how engaging they are." Legal 500 2020
"A persuasive advocate who can relate to clients from all walks of life without airs and graces." Legal 500 2018.

mradstone@25bedfordrow.com

Financial Crime

R v S - Ongoing, pre-charge advice - Multi-million pound allegations of fraud, money, laundering and corruption by a UK company in Africa in which high level government officials are alleged to have been involved in the fraud, bribery and corruption.
R v C - Ongoing - ‘Ponzi scheme’ and breach of director disqualification order alleged, case involved GPRS systems on golf courses in the UK, US and Japan.
SFO v ENRC - Ongoing international Fraud, Bribery and Corruption matter relating to the purchasing of mining contracts in Africa.
R v D - Ongoing - Fraud on Apple UK, involving the fraudulent acquisition of thousands of £’s of Apple Mac computers.
R v Meghrabi - Led junior - Money laundering conspiracy and cheating the public revenue of a vast scale.
R v Muscalu - National Crime Agency prosecution involving a multi-defendant money laundering conspiracy in which cash was being printed and laundering through various money laundering bureaus in London.
R v McFie - £6m mortgage fraud and money laundering conspiracy in which mortgage applications and bank accounts were being created to give the banks the false impression of credit worthiness by the applicants
R v Richards & Others - Multiple defendant case involving defrauding the HMRC via falsifying tax rebates. Complex, voluminous electronic evidence.
R v Lewis & Others - Led Junior, Multi-million pound mortgage fraud - Client was a mortgage broker charged with others including a solicitor. Very complex case involving the use of complicated same day bridging loans, inflated property valuations and deliberate defaults on mortgage repayments.
R v Black - Money laundering, defendant was a 22 year old single mother of good character. Police found £250,000 cash in her airing cupboard. .
R v Winkworth & Others - High value world cup football-ticketing fraud.
R v Bowler & Others - Confiscation proceedings in connection with the largest cannabis importation ever seen in the UK that generated an alleged benefit of “£61.2 million” Case involved the Hawala banking system (VHCC case).
R v Elkhouly - Crown sought a benefit figure of approximately £1million. Proceedings arose from credit card and bank account fraud. Available amount determined to be £32k. Over 50 banks accounts were involved in the case which required tracing hundreds of fraudulent transactions through numerous bank accounts.

Homicide and Serious Violence

R v Rana - Murder - Led junior - Defendant alleged to have shot his mother-in-law in Pakistan
R v Evans - Murder - Led junior - Defendant alleged to have murdered his wife.
R v Ayres - Murder - Led junior - Defendant was a 14 year old boy charged alongside 3 other youths with stamping a homeless ‘Big Issue Seller’ to death in the middle of the night outside Marks and Spencer in Bournemouth. Acute and complex issues of joint enterprise dealt with.
R v Penfold - Perverting/Assisting - Led Junior - Defendant alleged to have assisted those charged with murdering a man outside a party in East London
R v Rawling - S.18 - Led junior - Allegation of GBH on a 28-day-old baby boy in which life threatening injuries were sustained as a result of severe shaking, including severe brain haemorrhage and numerous broken bones.
R v Chedd - Junior alone - Death by dangerous driving case in which the deceased was run over in Bluewater carpark as a result of the defendant having a black out at the wheel. Involved complex medical evidence in relation to latent memory loss.
R v Latali - Junior alone - CCC - Conspiracy to kidnap, falsely imprison and blackmail. Serious violence alleged to have been used on the complainant involving burning with iron, stabbing and use of a firearm
R v D - Junior alone - conspiracy to blackmail, falsely imprison. Complainant said to have been lured to the property, tied with cable ties, assaulted and held to ransom with a firearm.
R v Musa - Attempted kidnapping of a solicitor.
R v Thomas - Led Junior - Rape - defendant charged with series of rapes from 2005 and 2006. Convicted at first trial. Conviction quashed by CoA. Instructed for second trial during which eight counts were struck out as an abuse of process. Defendant was acquitted of remaining counts.
R v Dunsmore & Others - High profile football violent disorder case involving Chelsea and QPR supporters.
R v Healey - High profile football public disorder involving Chelsea v West Ham.

Large Scale Drugs Conspiracies

R v Lendon - ‘Operation Blue’ - Drugs and money laundering conspiracy in which the defendant was said to be on of the most influential drug dealers in Southampton.
R v Reidy - ‘Operation Duchy’ - Led junior - Representing first defendant on a conspiracy to supply 96 kilos of pure cocaine. This case relied heavily upon cell site evidence.
R v Stratford - ‘Operation Announce’ - Led junior - 19 year old defendant alleged to manufactured his own Class A drugs and to have supplied pill press machinery used to produce half a million ecstasy tablets.
R v Roberts - Led Junior - Importation of 26 kilos of cocaine from Costa Rica into Portsmouth docks. Involved large-scale police surveillance including listening devices.
R v L - Junior alone - Twelve-defendant conspiracy to supply class A. Involved a ‘test purchase operation’ by the police. Defendant 15 years old.
R v Williams - Led Junior, Conspiracy to Supply. Instructed privately to advise on merits of an appeal against conviction. Case centred on ‘supergrass evidence’ from other drugs users. Appellant said to have been one of the largest drug dealers in Northern England.

Reported Cases

R v Saqib - EWCA Crim 1015 - Appeal against sentence on the basis that notwithstanding the basis of plea the judge failed to attach enough weight to it and therefore passed a sentence that was manifestly excessive by erroneously applying the sentencing guidelines at too high a starting point. Appeal successful.
R v Slater - EWCA Crim153- ‘Fresh evidence’ appeal on behalf of an appellant convicted of several counts of rape and sexual assault.
R v G - EWCA Crim 469 - Appellant was 16 years old and severely autistic. Sentence for dwelling burglaries halved by the Full Court.
R v Samuels - EWCA Crim 1894 - Consecutive sentences deemed to be excessive in relation to repeated offences of commercial burglary.
R v Rossi - EWCA Crim 2406 - Appellant was an 84 year old man convicted of voyeurism and sexual activity in the presence of young children in the toilets at St Pauls Cathedral. Appeal related to the question of whether a juror who was a doctor and medical expert on an unusual medical area at the heart of the defence namely the need to repeatedly urinate, had contaminated the jury with his own knowledge and expertise.

Environmental

EA v JGW Ltd - offences contrary to s.187 Town and Country Planning Act 1990
EA v AC - Offences contrary to Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulation 2016
EA v MM - Offences contrary to Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulation 2010

Sport

Appeared on behalf of FA in: FA v HSFC and HBFC
FIFA Corruption Enquiry - Advising CONMIBOL
R v Sam Sodje - Ex prom footballer - Fraud
R v PP - Football agent - Bribery and corruption

Other Recent Notable Cases

Trading Standards v S - On-going - Eight offences contrary to the Unfair Trading regulations 2008.
DEFRA v Rapier Recruitment & Others – Alleged offences contrary to the Gangmasters Licencing Act 2004, in which foreign workers were being brought into the UK legally but without the protection of the provisions of that legislation.
TFL v HB – Offences contrary to the Public Service Vehicles (Conduct of Drivers, Inspectors, Conductors & Passengers ) Regulations 1990, SI N. 1020
HB v MK – Food poisoning outbreak at the ‘Railway Hotel’ over Christmas 2012 resulting in the death of a guest. Represented the chef for breach of the General Food Regulations 2002 and Food Safety Act 1990.
Trading Standards v MB – On -going case – trading standards fraud under s.9 of the Fraud Act.

Inquest

Coroners Inquest re death of LMH - causes of death determined as Tension Pneumathorax/ Myaesthenic crisis/ Thymoma