Paul Renteurs has developed a practice that incorporates criminal defence, professional discipline, inquests and inquiries and other regulatory work.
Paul’s criminal defence practice includes serious crime, white collar crime and criminal regulatory work. He has experience representing both individual and corporate clients in respect of environmental prosecutions and prosecutions brought by the Health and Safety Executive.
In professional discipline, Paul has extensive experience of representing clients before disciplinary tribunals of all kinds, including medical regulators and sports disciplinary bodies. In Sports law in particular, Paul has built on experiences gained during secondments to both UK Anti-Doping and the Football Association.
Paul has developed a considerable practice before the Coronial Courts, representing both individuals and corporate entities – including NHS Trusts – before Coroner-led and jury inquests, in cases involving medical and health and safety issues. Paul is recognised as a leading Junior for inquests and inquiries in the Legal 500. For many years Paul has been part of the team representing one of the corporate core participants before the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.
Paul also recently featured in a documentary on Discovery Plus concerning the investigation of the Shoreham Airshow crash in 2015. ‘Fatal Flight: Shoreham’ explores the circumstances of the crash itself, the investigation that followed, and the legal proceedings in both the criminal and coronial courts.
Paul has a burgeoning criminal practice, predominantly defending and prosecuting in the Crown Court. He represents clients at Crown Court trials and committals for sentence for a range of offences including causing grievous bodily harm with intent, the supply of class A drugs, theft offences, fraud and money laundering. Paul also has a great deal of experience representing clients in a range of matters at the Youth and Magistrates Courts.
As an advocate, the calm, clear and confident style in which he presents his clients’ cases, both in his jury advocacy and submissions made before judges and magistrates, has been the subject of comments made by judges and clients alike.
Paul has assisted other members of chambers with presentation of lectures and publications on issues of bribery, corruption, cartels and other white collar and financial crime, and regulation.
R v AK
Paul represented one of six defendants charged with inflicting grievous bodily harm. The complainant, who had been present at a nightclub that the six defendants had been at, had accompanied another male who had set upon one of the defendants with a metal pole. This other male, who has never been apprehended, was disarmed and fled the scene. After that, the defendants retaliated against the complainant, including delivering blows with the metal pole. The complainant sustained life-altering injuries as a result. The defence contended that the actions of AK and the others was in reasonable self-defence. AK was unanimously acquitted of all counts.
R v JS
Paul represented the owner of a waste transfer site at a sentencing hearing at Woolwich Crown Court. The prosecution related to the operation of a waste transfer site that culminated in a substantial fire in January 2022. Located at an industrial estate adjacent to the point where the river Darent joins the river Thames, the Environment Agency reported that piles of waste on the site also posed a risk to the structural integrity of flood defences protecting the industrial estate. JS pleaded guilty to one charge under the Environmental Permitting (England & Wales) Regulations 2016. A further charge was withdrawn by the Environment Agency. Having heard Paul’s plea in mitigation, HHJ Whitehouse KC suspended a sentence of 8 months’ imprisonment for 18 months.
R v PC FM
Paul’s client, a serving police officer at the time of the alleged offence, unanimously acquitted of rape.
R v Roy Stannard
Paul was led by Michael Hayton QC representing an elderly man facing historic allegations of child cruelty and sexual assault made by a number of his step-children. The Defendant was acquitted of counts relating to the sexual assault of one of the complainants, but was convicted of a number of other counts.
R v Brian Thompson
Paul was led by Orlando Pownall QC representing a man accused of involvement in a nationwide conspiracy to supply Heroin. The conspiracy involved the shipping of large quantities of heroin out of Liverpool, to drug suppliers in Scotland, Wales and South West England. The Defendant was acquitted. In the weeks following the acquittal, the Crown offered no evidence against one of the alleged co-conspirators, represented by Jonathan LaidLaw QC and Chris Ware, who was accused of playing a leading role in the conspiracy.
R v Luke Reeves
Paul represented a young man accused of causing grievous bodily with intent by biting the top of another man’s ear off in a nightclub. The client was acquitted of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, and convicted of the lesser offence of inflicting grievous bodily harm. Paul represented the client at his sentencing hearing, at which he received a suspended sentence.
R v Angela Thomson
Paul represented a woman accused of assaulting a police constable in execution of his duty and of causing harassment alarm or distress. The alleged assault was said to consist of choking a special constable. Paul cross examined four special constables who gave evidence for the crown. The client was acquitted of the assault charge, and convicted of the public order matter. The client received a conditional discharge.
Paul represents companies and individuals in criminal regulatory proceedings in cases involving environmental offences and prosecutions brought by the Health and Safety Executive.
R v JS
Paul represented the former owner and operator of a waste transfer site in Kent. A catchment engineer of the Environment Agency had reported that piles of waste on the site were threatening the structural integrity of flood defences protecting the industrial estate on which the site was located from the adjacent river Darwent. After JS pleaded guilty to one charge under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016, the Environment Agency withdrew a further charge. JS was sentenced to 8 months’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, and was required to carry out 60 hours of unpaid work.
HSE v TCL
Paul represented leading North East construction company Tolent Construction Limited (TCL) in a prosecution brought by the Health and Safety Executive, following an incident at one of its construction sites in which an employee was seriously injured. Prior to being sentenced, TCL went into voluntary administration. Paul persuaded the Court to impose a nominal fine upon TCL.
Paul regularly undertakes instructions to represent both individuals and professional regulatory bodies before a variety of regulatory tribunals. His core practice focuses on cases before medical regulators, including the General Medical Council, General Dental Council, General Optical Council, General Osteopathic Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Council. However, he also has experience before non-medical professional regulators, including the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, and the Architects’ Regulatory Board.
Paul’s experience includes being instructed to conduct cross examination on behalf of registrants who are self-representing in cases involving allegations of serious sexual misconduct.
The Professional Standards Authority has previously instructed Paul to carry out a review of regulatory determinations. This involved reviewing determinations of various health and social care regulators following fitness to practise proceedings in order to assess whether those determinations were unduly lenient.
Earlier in his career Paul sat as a Panel Secretary for the NMC. In this role Paul was required to sit in on Panel deliberations and draft final determinations.
Paul has developed a strong practice in Coroners’ inquests, particularly those concerning deaths of children and deaths in custody. His experience includes representing individual medical professionals and medical practices who find themselves identified as interested persons, as well as families of the deceased. Paul’s experience extends to Coroner’s inquests and public inquiries that engage a range of health and safety legislation and regulation, including food standards and building regulations.
Whether making submissions to a coroner as to the proper scope of an inquest, or putting questions to witnesses, including expert witnesses, Paul’s professional, but personable and considerate manner enables him to effectively represent the varying concerns of a range of different clients.
The Grenfell Tower Inquiry
Paul is currently instructed to act on behalf of one of the Core Participants of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.
Inquest into the death of NEL
Paul represented a junior doctor in a case concerning the death of a fifteen-year-old girl from anaphylaxis brought about as a result of eating a Pret a Manger baguette that, unbeknownst to her, contained sesame seeds. Paul’s client, who attended to NEL whilst she was suffering anaphylactic shock on board a British Airways flight to Nice, was praised during the Coroner’s summing up for having acted admirably. Paul was instructed by Radcliffes Le Brasseur and the Medical Protection Society.
Inquest into the death of TM
Paul represented a primary care practice in a case concerning the death of a fourteen-year-old girl from a severe asthma attack. Paul successfully resisted submissions by Queens’ Counsel acting for the family of the deceased, inviting a finding of neglect. The Coroner for South Tyneside gave a brief narrative verdict. Paul was instructed by the Medical Defence Union.
Paul has experience of representing clients in civil negligence claims. He has defended corporate clients, including recently representing contractors for Essex Highways. He is also developing an increasing practice in occupational disease litigation, particularly in cases concerning noise induced hearing loss.
Paul’s Sports Law Practice encompasses advising and representing clients across a broad spectrum of different areas, including anti-doping, professional discipline, British Horseracing regulation, gambling regulation and player transfer regulations.
During a secondment at UK Anti-Doping, Paul was closely involved in the investigation, charging and case management of a number of alleged anti-doping rule violations by athletes. Paul represented UKAD before the National Anti-Doping Panel in many of these cases. Paul continues to accept instructions from UKAD on a regular basis, both to represent UKAD before the NADP and to carry out independent reviews of cases under the UK anti-doping rules.
Paul has previously been instructed to supervise the disclosure of material within the Football Association’s archives to the Sheldon Review and Operation Hydrant, both concerning allegations sexual abuse by individuals within football.
FA v H
Paul represented the Football Association in proceedings brought before the Regulatory Commission of the FA against former Head of Recruitment at West Ham United, H. H admitted charges that alleged using improper, insulting and/or abusive words which amounted to an ‘aggravated breach’ of FA Rules, including, as they did, references to ethnic origin, race, nationality and/or colour. H was suspended from all football related activity for a period of twelve months, and was ordered to pay a contribution to the Football Association’s costs.
UKAD v M
Paul oversaw the case management, and represented UKAD before the NADP, in a case brought against M, a player for a Scottish football club, concerning the presence of a metabolite of metandienone in the player’s system. The defence contended that any violation of the anti-doping rules was not intentional, as, unbeknownst to M, a friend and training partner had added a fat-burning substance containing metandienone to his protein shakes. The panel concluded that the anti-doping rule violation was intentional, and M was banned for four years.
UKAD v T
Paul drafted written submissions for UKAD, and represented it before the NADP, in a case brought against T, a boxer, concerning the presence of furosemide in T’s system. Queen’s Counsel representing T submitted that he bore no significant fault or negligence for the presence of furosemide in his system, because he unwittingly took furosemide tablets belonging to his grandfather, and that he should therefore receive a sanction ranging from no ban to two years. The panel found that there was no significant fault or negligence, but banned T for one year.
Paul Renteurs represented the Football Association at an appeal against a decision of the Regulatory…
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Paul Renteurs has featured in a documentary on Discovery Plus concerning the investigation of the…
