Ella’s practice encompasses criminal law, professional discipline and inquests.
Ella represents individuals and companies across the full spectrum of criminal offences. Recent instructions include human trafficking (acting for the first defendant of three), conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, firearms and serious violence and sexual offences. Financial crime cases include defending an individual involved in a two-year conspiracy to defraud multinational technology corporations, acting for a director and her company over charges brought by HMRC and, as a led junior, representing a banker accused of conspiring with five others to defraud an international bank.
Ella acts for both regulators and for medical professionals accused of serious misconduct, with recent cases concerning dishonesty, fraud, unsafe clinical decision-making and sexually motivated behaviour. She has appeared before the major healthcare regulators, including the MPTS, SWE, GOsC and NMC. In interim order hearings, Ella has represented healthcare professionals ranging from consultants to social workers. A recent fitness to practise hearing, heard for four weeks in total, comprised the defence of a clinical lead at an 85-bed care centre and involved the cross-examination of four CQC inspectors.
Ella advises and represents a range of interested persons at inquests, including medical professionals, NHS Trusts, care providers, councils and companies. Her experience includes Article 2 and jury inquests. She recently represented a Trust in a lengthy inquest where Article 2 was engaged and eight Trust witnesses were called to give oral evidence, with no adverse findings made.
Ella also practises regulatory criminal law in the Magistrates’ and Crown Courts. She often represents local boroughs, councils and individuals in trading standards cases and in applications for civil orders. She recently represented one of the UK’s largest transport companies at trial, and has prosecuted cases involving fraud, forgery and violations of the Trade Marks Act 1994.
Ella has a growing practice in civil litigation. She recently appeared in the High Court representing a multi-national insurance company in a successful strike-out applicaton.
Before coming to the Bar, Ella worked as a legal researcher in the white-collar crime department of Peters & Peters Solicitors LLP.
Ella has a growing practice in defending and prosecuting those charged with fraud, money laundering and other financial crime-related offences. She has experience in undertaking paper-heavy cases and in applications under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986.
R v BC
Representing an individual accused of defrauding multinational technology corporations over a two-year timespan, involving consideration of a significant amount of telephonic and banking evidence, as well as money laundering offences.
WBDC v AC
Prosecution of a company and its owner over forged documentation submitted to the local authority for building projects.
Law Officers’ Department of Jersey v GH
Advised upon the prosecution of GH, an accountant who faced charges under the Jersey-equivalent of VATA 1994. The case was the first time in which certain offences under the legislation had been litigated.
HMRC v M
Represented a company and its director in a case brought by HMRC alleging the unlawful supply of taxable goods/services in contravention of the VAT Act 1994.
DVSA v J
Defence of a director of a multi-national haulage company who falsified tachograph records.
R v T
Led junior in a £1.2m six-week multi-handed fraud trial at Southwark Crown Court concerning a conspiracy to defraud an international bank by their employers and external agents. The trial involved a high volume of documentary and banking evidence.
Ella represents defendants in the Magistrates’ Court, Youth Court and Crown Court. She has defended in cases in the Crown Court involving a range of offences including allegations of serious violence, drug supply and fraud.
R v W
Represented a man of good character accused of sexually assaulting his nephew and perverting the course of justice by offering his nephew money to drop the charges in a telephone call which had been recorded and was played to the jury. Having challenged disclosure-related failings throughout the trial, Ella’s client was acquitted by a jury.
R v T
Represented a man of good character accused of sexual assaulting a 16-year-old in a shop. The incident was captured on CCTV. Ella’s client was acquitted after a four-day Crown Court trial.
R v C
Represented a firearms collector in respect of possession of two firearms that fell within s. 5(1)(aba) Firearms Act 1968, attracting the mandatory minimum custodial sentence of five years. After extensive preparation by the defence, the Court made a finding of exceptional circumstances and reduced the sentence to that of a two-year suspended sentence.
R v X
Represented a former international footballer and household name who had been made subject to a 9-month driving disqualification. The Court revoked the discretionary disqualification and acceded to an exceptional hardship application, resulting in the reinstatement of her client’s driving licence.
R v AW
Representing a young defendant in an 11-defendant conspiracy to supply over 11kg of Class A drugs.
R v JB
Representing the first defendant at trial in a multi-handed human trafficking/modern slavery case.
R v M
Represented a defendant found not guilty of coercive and controlling behaviour and assault by penetration following an 8-day trial. Key defence strategies included a successful s. 78 application and challenging disclosure failings, which significantly impacted the Prosecution’s case.
R v GA
Represented one of the UK’s largest transport companies at trial. The company was acquitted of a driving-related offence.
R v T
Led junior in a multi-handed conspiracy to defraud an international bank by their employers and external agents. Trial involved a high volume of documentary and banking evidence.
R v F
Female defendant, a mother of 4, given a suspended sentence order after pleading Guilty just before trial to running a class A drugs line. The starting point for sentence was 4 and a half years.
R v H
Representing the first defendant out of 5 accused of supplying over 1kg of Class A drugs with co-defendants running defences of modern slavery implicating Ella’s client.
R v H
Acquittal of a heavily convicted defendant of non-fatal strangulation and assault.
Ella is regularly instructed to represent Interested Persons at inquests, including those that are at risk of criticism.
Inquest into the death of C
Instructed to represent an NHS Trust in a nine-day inquest where Article 2 was engaged, involving complex legal argument and significant amounts of expert medical evidence mainly concerning diabetic ketoacidosis. The Coroner called eight of the Trust’s witnesses to give oral evidence, including six district nurses. No adverse findings were made against Ella’s client.
Inquest into the death of K
Instructed in a jury trial to represent an NHS Trust that provided mental health services to a prison following the death of a prisoner to suicide. Mental health services had been actively involved in his care. No criticism was made of the Trust.
Inquest into the death of MC
Represented an equestrian centre that was hosting a showjumping competition at which a competitor in the event died unexpectedly.
Inquest into the death of L
Instructed to represent a consultant psychiatrist in a 4-day inquest concerning the death of his patient to suicide. Expert evidence was obtained by the Coroner which heavily criticised Ella’s client. Following lengthy cross-examination of the expert and written submissions, there were no adverse findings made.
Inquest into the death of A
Represented a GP who had prescribed the deceased with the wrong dosage of medication that was potentially causative of his patient’s death. No adverse findings were made.
Inquest into the death of T
Represented a consultant surgeon who had missed details in a patient’s scan which were indicative of an aggressive form of cancer. The material was highly technical in nature and required careful cross-examination of an expert in the field.
Inquest into the death of JH
Ella is currently instructed to represent a Trust in a sensitive inquest involving a young man who killed his neighbour. The case has attracted media attention.
Ella regularly undertakes instructions to represent individuals and professional regulatory bodies. She has appeared before the major regulatory tribunals, including the MPTS, NMC, UKCP and SWE.
NMC v H
Defence of a nurse providing a community care service to elderly people in her community at an interim order hearing. She was accused of defrauding her patients and other dishonesty-related allegations. The NMC’s application was for an interim suspension order, and the hearing concluded with no order being made and no restrictions on the nurse’s practice.
GMC v Z
Representation of a consultant in stroke medicine at an interim order hearing involving expert evidence and scrutiny of his clinical decisions in respect of two patients.
GMC v R
Advising a cosmetic dermatologist who ran his own practice and was accused of sexual misconduct by a patient.
GMC v S
Instructed by the MPTS to cross-examine a patient and her husband, who had been granted special measures, on behalf of a senior obstetrician as part of his fitness to practice hearing. The case concerned poor care at the birth of an otherwise healthy baby, which resulted in life-changing medical conditions.
NMC v P
Defence of a clinical lead at an 85-bed care centre at a 4-week fitness to practise hearing. The hearing involved cross-examination of four CQC inspectors, the presentation of a detailed defence case and consideration as to complex areas of law. The NMC sought a 12-month suspension order, but the Panel was persuaded to impose a one-year caution (the shortest length of time that a caution order can be imposed for).
UKCP v HH
Prosecuting a psychoanalyst in the UK Council for Psychotherapist’s first successful application for an interim suspension order.
NMC v T
Defence of a deputy manager of a rehabilitation centre accused of poor management.
NMC v DM
Defence of a nurse specialising in neo-natal care. Allegations concerned dishonesty.
Ella is a Grade 2 CPS Prosecutor.
R v N
Prosecution of a bank robbery.
R v S
Ella has appeared in various private prosecutions alleging fraud on behalf of the DVSA.
Attorney General’s Office of Jersey
Ella was instructed by the Attorney General of Jersey for six months, where she provided written advice on a range of criminal investigations (fraud, rape, serious sexual offences, importation of drugs and serious violence) at the pre-charge stage.
Ella has acted in and undertaken advisory work for Trading Standards and Local Authority criminal and civil proceedings.
OA v Westminster City Council
Represented a well-known restaurant in Soho in proceedings brought under the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013.
WBDC v AC
Prosecution of a company and its director in proceedings brought over non-compliant building work and forged documentation submitted to the local authority, causing over £125,000 worth of loss to four Complainants.
RBG v T
Prosecution of £625k’s worth of counterfeit goods on behalf of a local authority (on-going). The case involves issues of modern slavery, adding a further layer of complexity to this matter.
LBI v NO
Prosecution of the trading of £70k’s worth of non-compliant cigarettes, electronic cigarettes and other items on behalf of a local authority. A closure order was subsequently applied for and granted.
Press release here.
Ella was recently instructed by HM Attorney General of Jersey to provide pre-charge advice on numerous investigations.
Before coming to the Bar, Ella was a legal researcher at Peters & Peters. She specialised in international sanctions law, drafting a report for the Japanese government on AML enforcement in the UK and EU, making her uniquely placed to advise on matters that touch on both sanctions and criminal law.
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