Now in his seventeenth year in Silk, Brian O’Neill KC provides advice and advocacy in private prosecutions (in which he has a particular expertise), business crime, serious crime and sports law.
His expert skills can be applied to any complex situation whether defending or prosecuting across various jurisdictions. He advises corporate clients in this jurisdiction and abroad and gives advice to foreign Governments. He has appeared in numerous high-profile cases and has represented a number of professional footballers.
Brian is consistently recommended in the principal industry guides as a leader at the Criminal Bar.
Brian is particularly sought after in ‘paper-heavy’ and substantial multi-handed cases, where his analytical skills, attention to detail and strong advocacy are highly valued. He is regularly instructed by both leading defence solicitors and prosecution agencies in this sector. He is on the Serious Fraud Office’s and the Government Legal Department’s KC Panels.
He has advised UK and overseas companies in respect of their and their directors’ liabilities in on-going and potential proceedings in this and other jurisdictions. He has advised the Government of the Cayman Islands in relation to allegations of bribery and corruption in the course of a major inter-governmental investigation.
Mills, Scourfield & Others
Appearance: Prosecution
Following a 4- to 5-month-long trial at Southwark Crown Court, David and Alison Mills, Michael Bancroft, Mark Dobson and Tony Cartwright were convicted of conspiracy to corrupt, fraudulent trading and conspiracy to launder criminal property which resulted in a loss to HBoS of £245 million and the substantial enrichment of Mills and his associates. Lynden Scourfield, the HBoS banker who David Mills had corrupted, pleaded ‘guilty’ shortly before the trial commenced.
A number of enquiries into the HBoS scandal are still ongoing.
The case was widely covered in the national press, click the links to read more: BBC | The Guardian | The Telegraph | The Sun
Pagliara, Price & Wright
Appearance: Prosecution
The defendants, two football agents and the former assistant manager of Barnsley FC, were convicted of offences under the Bribery Act following a two-month-long trial at Southwark Crown Court.
The case stemmed from an extensive undercover investigation into alleged corruption in football by The Daily Telegraph, the most high-profile casualty of which was Sam Allardyce, the then England manager, who resigned his position.
The case was widely covered in the national press, click the links to read more here and here.
Following the trial, Brian was instructed by The Football Association in respect of disciplinary proceedings against Mr Price and Mr Wright.
Frisby & Shakespeare
Appearance: Prosecution
The defendants were convicted of a number of counts of fraudulent trading following a 3- to 4-month-long trial. The allegations related to their operation of a number of companies which attracted £millions from private investors and equally substantial investments from various banks in a ‘land banking’, ‘Ponzi’ fraud.
Brian is regularly instructed by both leading defence solicitors and prosecution agencies in the field of business crime and fraud. He is on the Serious Fraud Office’s and the Government Legal Department’s KC Panels.
This in turn has led to instructions both to prosecute and defend in substantial trading standards cases, as a result of his expertise in criminal law and his very considerable experience in serious and complex criminal cases.
In 2024, he advised a number of train operating companies in respect of their misuse of the Single Justice Procedure to prosecute alleged fare evaders. This resulted in the quashing of thousands of convictions.
Norris, Basile & Others
Appearance: Prosecution
The prosecution of nine defendants who were alleged to have been involved in the fraudulent mis-selling of two products described as ‘Magic Boxes.’ The products were said to significantly reduce the cost of energy bills in the homes of consumers but, it was alleged, were either entirely unsuitable for the heating systems they were sold for and/or incapable of achieving the savings promised. Moreover, both products were alleged to have been sold at extortionate prices, often to elderly, vulnerable individuals who were deliberately targeted and would have had to live far beyond their life expectancy to see any return on their expenditure.
Cazaly & Others
Appearance: Defence
The defendants were accused of selling very expensive wine to consumers, many of whom were said to be elderly and/or unsophisticated investors, over the course of many years via a company named Imperial Wines, of which Brian’s client was the Managing Director. At the heart of the prosecution case were a series of allegations concerning the overpricing and late or non-delivery of some of the world’s finest wines.
Brian is instructed in criminal cases of the utmost gravity and seriousness by leading defence solicitors. His vast experience has earned him the respect of those who instruct him, his peers and the judiciary.
He is regularly instructed in high-profile murder cases and allegations involving serious sexual offences, where his judicial experience, including as a former Recorder at the Central Criminal Court, gives him a distinct advantage.
He has represented a number of Premiership footballers accused of serious violence, sexual assault and public order offences: out of respect for their privacy their names have been anonymised and media links removed.
MDY
M was charged with a gang-related murder. The case against him hinged upon facial analysis evidence with supporting cell-site evidence. Upon Brian’s advice, the prosecution and defence experts met in order to produce joint reports, which resulted in the prosecution’s case that M was one of the suspects being greatly diminished. Following written representations to the CPS submitting that there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction, the prosecution offered no evidence against M.
ELH
H was accused of two gang-related murders. Following the service of the prosecution case, Brian advised that an application to dismiss should be made. Upon receipt of the defence’s written submissions, the prosecution discontinued the case against H in respect of all of the allegations which he faced.
AJ & Others
AJ and seven others stood trial on four counts of murder. They were accused of intending to firebomb the home of a man whom they suspected of having murdered a friend of theirs earlier that day, however, the wrong house was set alight, tragically killing a mother and her three teenage children. AJ was acquitted of four counts of murder and convicted of manslaughter.
VUT
Defence of a professional footballer accused with three other players, of sexually assaulting a young woman in a hotel room. Brian’s client was acquitted of all charges. The solicitor for one of the co-defendants described Brian as “the standout Silk in the case”.
YXW
Defence of a professional footballer accused of wounding a night club doorman with intent to do grievous bodily harm. Brian’s client was acquitted of all charges.
Brian’s expertise in criminal law and his very considerable experience prosecuting serious and complex criminal cases have led to a number of instructions in this field in which he both prosecutes and defends.
MA v AD & NR
Appearance: Prosecution
A private prosecution brought by a Dubai based businessman against two UK nationals who were alleged to have defrauded him of approximately £1 million.
MT v SG
Appearance: Defence
SG, an Austrian businessman, was accused by MT (an Italian businessman with dual Swiss nationality) of a mezzanine finance fraud. The proceedings, which gave rise to a number of significant jurisdictional issues, were the subject of a successful application to the CPS to intervene and discontinue.
Euro Exim Bank Ltd v Wahab
Appearance: Prosecution
A prosecution brought by a private bank against a former customer in respect of his attempts to defraud the bank of E50 million and blackmail senior officials in the bank.
G & T v L
Appearance: Defence
L was accused of numerous counts of ‘health and safety’ fraud relating to the provision of gas and electrical safety certificates in a private prosecution brought against him by G and T, following a long-running contractual dispute between their companies. Successful representations were made to the CPS to take over and discontinue a number of counts. At trial, Brian’s client was acquitted of all of the remaining counts.
TSR & SRQ
Appearance: Defence
The defendants, two senior professionals in the financial services industry, were accused of fraud by the daughter of one of their clients following a long-running family dispute. The matter was the subject of successful representations to the CPS to take over the case and discontinue the proceedings.
Thereafter, the defendants successfully recovered all of their costs against the private prosecutor following a fully contested hearing.
QOP
Appearance: Prosecution
Advising a financial services company on the merits of a private prosecution in respect of allegations of fraud by a former senior employee and his wife following a series of civil suits.
Brian is a very experienced prosecutor who is regularly instructed to prosecute in cases of complexity, sensitivity and seriousness. Brian is regularly instructed by specialist units within the CPS, including the Special Crime Division and CPS London’s Homicide Team.
His significant experience includes the complex multi-handed prosecutions of organised criminal networks. Such cases require careful attention to case strategy, an ability to analyse and present a range of complex evidential material, and the sure handling of often highly sensitive unused material.
He has extensive experience of prosecuting murders at the Old Bailey, including multi-handed, gang related cases.
Outside of this jurisdiction, he has advised the DPP of The Isle of Man in respect of a high-profile murder case on the island and the Government of the Cayman Islands in relation to allegations of bribery and corruption in the course of a major inter-governmental investigation.
R v Reeve & Others
Seven men were convicted of homicide, four of murder and three of manslaughter, following a lengthy trial at the Old Bailey. In February 2023, Kai McGinley was shot to death in a residential road in Erith, south-east London. It was a planned and targeted execution which was undoubtedly drugs-related. Kai’s car was rammed off the road by a vehicle containing four of the defendants. The three occupants of the other car got out and opened fire from close range. At trial, five of the seven defendants denied presence or participation: the other two admitted presence but denied knowing what was going to happen. After more than 100 hours of jury deliberation, at the end of a trial which lasted 89 days, all were convicted.
Gilead
The defendant was convicted of the targeted assassination of a rival in the drugs industry to whom he was in debt. Passing sentence, the trial judge described the case as “one of the most challenging, single defendant, single homicide cases…ever undertaken.”
Mohammed & Joseph
The defendants were convicted of murder, attempted murder and perverting the course of justice for their parts in a night of drive-by shootings in east London where one man was murdered and another very seriously injured.
Watson & Others
Following a six-month-long trial, two defendants were convicted of murder and two of manslaughter following the shooting of Christopher George in Edmonton in July 2020. The prosecution case rested upon a complex combination of CCTV, telephone contact and cell site evidence to prove the presence of all four defendants at the scene of the murder.
Morgan & Param
Following a five-week-long trial, two defendants were convicted of the murder of drill artist Bis, real name Crosslon Davis, a member of the prominent music collective Harlem Spartans whose tracks have had millions of YouTube hits.
Worrie & Others
Following a trial of 57 days’ duration the defendants, of whom there were six, were all convicted of the murder of a member of a rival gang in east London. They and two others (who remain unidentified) took part in a ride-out into enemy territory where they spotted, chased and stabbed their victim to death.
Gomez Remolina
The defendant was convicted of the murder of two young men more than 10 years previously. He and his brother were international career criminals who had come to London to commit high-end burglaries. Following a dispute with a local criminal, they executed him and a friend of his before fleeing the country. The defendant’s brother was quickly caught and returned here to stand his trial but committed suicide in prison shortly beforehand. The defendant remained at large for a number of years before being located in Mexico, from where he was extradited to stand trial.
M & Others
Five defendants were convicted of murder, manslaughter and assisting an offender for their parts in the gang-related assassination of a rival drugs dealer in a London street during the evening rush hour. The gunman, who was aged just 15 at the time of the shooting, was indicted alongside his father and grandmother who had given him a false alibi and spirited him out of London, as well as two others who had supplied the lethal weapon and driven him to and from the scene of the shooting.
Huckle
Huckle, widely described in the media as ‘Britain’s worst ever paedophile’, was convicted of 71 counts of child abuse committed against 23 young children over a period of 8-9 years when he was living in Malaysia. The case gave rise to numerous issues including extra-territorial jurisdiction, the use of ‘the dark web’, and the presentation to a jury of graphic images recorded by H of him raping his victims. Click here to read about the case in the national press. Huckle was subsequently murdered in prison.
Safdar & Subhani
The defendants were accused of endangering the safety of a Pakistan International Airlines airplane by making threats to kill members of the crew and blow up the plane on its approach to Manchester Airport. RAF fighter jets were scrambled, and the plane was diverted to Stansted Airport, the incident being treated as terror-related.
Johnson & Others
The defendants, of whom there were 30, were members of organised criminal networks which carried out more than 30 robberies of ‘high end’ jewellers’ stores throughout the country and overseas stealing £millions worth of watches and other items. The case was one of the largest prosecutions ever brought by the Flying Squad. Brian was subsequently named ‘Times’ Lawyer of the Week’ in recognition of his leadership of the prosecution team.
Brian has appeared in numerous high-profile cases and has represented a number of Premiership footballers accused of serious violence, sexual assault and public order offences: out of respect for their privacy, their names have been anonymised and media links removed.
Brian has been appointed as a member of the England Boxing Disciplinary Panel for three years with effect from 1st October 2026. The Panel hears disciplinary, safeguarding, anti-doping and appeals cases, helping to ensure the fair and independent resolution of regulatory matters within the sport.
England Boxing is the National Governing Body for the sport of Boxing in England, overseeing more than 1,000 affiliated clubs and more than 35,000 members spread across the country.
The FA v Chelsea FC
Appearance: Prosecution
In September 2025, following the largest ever investigation undertaken by The FA, Chelsea was charged with 74 breaches of the Agents, the Intermediaries and the Third Party Interest Regulations in relation to 44 transactions concerning 32 players. The breaches occurred when the Club was owned by Roman Abramovich and were at their height during the 2010/11 to 2015/16 playing seasons.
At first instance, the Regulatory Commission fined Chelsea £10 million and imposed a sporting sanction in the form of a deduction of 6 points, which it suspended until 30th June 2027. Read the decision.
The Club appealed and, on appeal, the points deduction was replaced by a registration ban for two complete and consecutive transfer windows, suspended until 30th June 2027. Read the appeal decision.
The offences came to light during the acquisition of the club by its new owners, who self-reported the matter to The FA, the Premier League and UEFA in May 2022.
Brian O’Neill KC and Tom Day, together with Ben Carroll, Andrew Poulton and Georgina King of Linklaters LLP, were instructed by The FA.
The FA v Ivan Toney
Appearance: Prosecution
Ivan Toney, at the time a Premier League footballer, was charged with more than 200 breaches of the prohibition on betting. The breaches took place over a period of four years and included a number of aggravated breaches, including bets on football matches in which he was playing. Mr Toney admitted all of the breaches and was banned from football for eight months.
The case was widely reported and commented upon in the national media: Sky News | BBC | The Guardian | The FA
Pagliara, Price & Wright
Appearance: Prosecution
The defendants, two football agents and the former assistant manager of Barnsley FC, were convicted of offences under the Bribery Act in December 2019 following a two-month-long trial at Southwark Crown Court.
The case stemmed from an extensive undercover investigation into alleged corruption in football by The Daily Telegraph in 2016, the most high-profile casualty of which was Sam Allardyce, the then England manager, who resigned his position.
The case was widely covered in the national press, click the links to read more here.
Following the trial, Brian was instructed by The Football Association in disciplinary proceedings brought against Mr Price and Mr Wright.
VUT
Defence of a professional footballer accused, with three other players, of sexually assaulting a young woman in a hotel room. Brian’s client was acquitted of all charges. The solicitor for one of the co-defendants described Brian as “the standout Silk in the case.”
YXW
Defence of a professional footballer accused of wounding a night club doorman with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Brian’s client was acquitted of all charges.
ZAB
Defence of a professional footballer accused of a public order offence following his sending off in a Premier League match.
CDE
Defence of a professional footballer accused of assault following an incident involving rival fans.
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