Jenni Dempster practises principally in criminal defence. She appears in Crown Courts nationwide, but most frequently in the South Eastern Circuit.
In recent years, she has come to specialise in:
- fraud & corruption
- serious violent crime
- sexual offences
- drug trafficking
- confiscation proceedings
She has particular expertise in cases involving young witnesses & defendants.
She regularly appears in pro bono appeals against conviction and sentence in the Court of Appeal.
In 2001, she attended Glasgow University's Forensic Medicine and Science Diploma Course.
Consistently cited in Chambers UK legal professional directory as a "Leader at the Bar" in Crime. Described in the 2012 edition as having "built a loyal and admiring following", as being "very adept at gauging the approach to adopt in advocacy" and "is always actively involved in the management of the case throughout".
Recommended in the 2011/12 edition of the Legal 500 and described as "a skilful and competent advocate", she is a highly sought after leading junior.
Current instructions include:
R v. H
Instructed as leading counsel to represent one of the main defendants in an 8-handed human trafficking and rape case due to last 3 months at Isleworth Crown Court.
R v. P
Instructed to represent defendant in alleged multi-million pound commercial mortgage fraud due to last 4 weeks at Southwark Crown Court.
[Due for trial September 2012]
Some of her recent cases include:
March - April 2012
R v. R
Defended first defendant in 6-handed conspiracy to rob bank customers who had recently withdrawn large amounts of cash. Prosecution suggested one offender would act as a "spotter" inside the bank whilst another would then track the victim's movements and relay them over the phone to other members of the team, who would then carry out the actual robbery. Case involved extensive mobile telephone evidence including expert cell-site analysis. Offences involved a total of 11 defendants engaged in various conspiracies over a six-month period.
January - February 2012
R v. Z
Defended first defendant in case alleging human trafficking of several Eastern European women. The defendant also faced charges of controlling prostitution via a number of London brothels as well as possession of a firearm and drugs. Case resulted in a 2-week Newton Hearing.
December 2011
R v. O
Represented 19-year-old footballer accused of rape. Defendant and complainant had been to a nightclub where both had consumed a large amount of alcohol. Prosecution alleged the complainant was so drunk that she was incapable of giving consent. Defendant acquitted.
October 2011
R v. J
Represented 25-year-old cousin of 13-year-old complainant who alleged she had been raped by him during an overnight stay at a friend's house. Defendant's case was that she had fabricated the entire incident. Cross-examined prosecution DNA expert who gave evidence that the complainant's DNA had been found on the inside front of the defendant's boxer shorts. Called defence forensic expert and argued that presence of DNA may have been the result of secondary transfer. Defendant acquitted.
July - August 2011
R v. M
Appeared for defendant alleged to have been involved in the gang-rape of a fellow student at a London college. Prosecution alleged the complainant was so drunk she was incapable of consenting. The suggestion was also made that rape may have been drug-assisted. Various parts of the incident were filmed by the defendants on an iPhone. Detailed toxicological and medical evidence was called by both prosecution and defence. Successful legal argument to exclude the evidence of a phonetics expert who purported to be able to hear additional dialogue following the enhancement of the audio soundtrack of the iPhone footage. Cross-examination of Russian interpreter called by the prosecution as to the accuracy of her translation.
June 2011
R v. H
Appeared for defendant charged with conspiracy to supply c. £1m worth of heroin. Defendant extradited from Ghana to face trial. Undercover surveillance of defendant placed him & his brother at the scene of the drugs handover in South London. Defendant's brother pleaded guilty to couriering the drugs across London. Defendant had previous conviction for conspiracy to supply 2 kgs of heroin in 2001 which the Crown were permitted to adduce. Defendant acquitted by the jury.
January 2011 - May 2011
R v. R
Appeared for the lead defendant in international Advance Fee Fraud prosecuted by the Serious Fraud Office at Southwark Crown Court.
January 2011
R v. S
Defended the practice manager of a Harley Street consultant surgeon alleged to have stolen almost £100,000 in cash. The prosecution followed a private investigation by the consultant and was based on an expert report by a chartered accountant. Questions of patient confidentiality, data protection and the late recognition that patients themselves should have been contacted before their medical notes were disclosed all arose. Abuse of process challenge mounted. Although the court decided there had been no abuse of process, the argument exposed fundamental weaknesses in the prosecution case, which led to the prosecution offering no evidence against the defendant.
October 2010
R v. V
Prepared for trial as leading defence counsel in case alleging copyright theft and conspiracy to defraud, privately prosecuted by the Federation against Copyright Theft (FACT) . The potential loss of earnings to the US film industry said by the prosecution to be in the region of £8bn. The matter is yet to be tried.
October 2010
R v. R
Defendant accused of drug-assisted rape. Defendant was the manager of bar in London alleged to have surreptitiously drugged the complainant. Defendant denied he had administered drugs to the complainant and ran defence of consent. Toxicological evidence suggested the complainant had consumed various drugs including ketamine. It became apparent that the source of the ketamine may have been some contaminated cocaine (which the complainant accepted using earlier in the evening). Cross-examination of Professor Ian Hindmarch, a Human Psychopharmacologist, as to the nature and likely effects including recovery periods of combined consumption of drugs and alcohol. Defence also sought disclosure of results of interrogation of complainant's mobile phone. Various text messages were discovered and introduced in cross-examination of the complainant including one sent to the complainant from a friend shortly after the incident stating "Say it was rape". Defendant acquitted of all charges.
January - March 2010 (& Court of Appeal in March 2011)
R v. Foster
Appeared as junior counsel in 7-week Ponzi-type fraud where loss to investors was £34m, prosecuted by SFO. Defendant charged with various offences contrary to FSMA 2000 including communicating an invitation to engage in investment activity, being an unauthorised person carrying on a regulated activity, dishonestly concealing a material fact & six counts of theft totalling £1.4m. Defendant said to have defrauded over 8,500 investors. Over £10m said to have been invested in a separately run Cayman-based pyramid scheme. All convictions for theft quashed by the Court of Appeal in March 2011.
December 2009
R v. Scott
Appeared as defence counsel for defendant charged with gunpoint cash-in-transit robbery. Trial involved several expert witnesses - specifically concerned with "Smartwater" contamination, cell-site analysis & DNA patterns.
September 2009
R v. B (Confiscation Proceedings)
Appeared as counsel for defendant in Confiscation Proceedings involving alleged benefit of c. £1m. Final hearing lasted 5 days and involved cross-examination of two SOCA specialist financial investigators.
June 2009
R v. Van Leeuwen & Others - "Operation Brushfield"
Appeared as counsel for defendant in large scale heroin trafficking case involving 12 other defendants.
January - February 2009
R v. Ahmed
Appeared for first defendant, a restaurateur, charged (along with five others) with kidnapping, false imprisonment & perverting the course of justice. Prosecution alleged he was ring leader in a plan to kidnap two of his waiting staff. Case involved very lengthy cross-examination of both complainants as to substantial discrepancies in their accounts of events as well as their involvement in a credit card skimming operation at the restaurant. Case also involved cross examination of "vehicle tracking" expert. Defendant acquitted of all charges following a 5-week trial.
July 2008
R v. H
Appeared as leading counsel for alleged serial rapist. Trial involved complex forensic and medical evidence. Arguments as to admissibility of defendant's convictions for sexual offences in other European countries.
February 2008
R v. A Youth & Others
Appearing as junior counsel for 16-year old defendant charged, along with five others, with the murder of Kodjo Yenga in Hammersmith in March 2007.
January 2008
R v. Watkins & Others
Appeared as leading counsel for the defendant in 7-week fraud & corruption trial involving Ministry of Defence contract to build nuclear submarine base at Devonport, Plymouth. Successful submission of no case to answer at close of the prosecution case.
December 2007
R v. Phillips
Appeared as defence counsel for defendant charged with armed robbery of Halifax Building Society where a female customer was held at gunpoint. The case involved the cross-examination of a series of expert witnesses as to fibre evidence, cell site & interpretation of DNA evidence.
November 2007
R v. Alexandre & Others
Appeared as leading counsel in large DWP fraud case involving five other defendants.
October 2007 (& retrial in November 2008)
R v. Caunter & Others
Appeared as junior defence counsel in nine-week murder trial. Defendant alleged to have reversed Land Rover over his fiancée's head as she lay on the ground. Complicated expert evidence as to how deceased received fatal head injuries.
August 2007
R v. Okoronkwo
Appeared as defence counsel for female pastor from Nigeria alleged to have entered the UK with a large consignment of cocaine.
May 2007
R v. Watmough & Others (Part of Operation Devout/Capri MTIC fraud)
Appeared for defendant charged, along with nine others, with money laundering offences arising out of a multi-million pound VAT fraud.
