David Whittaker KC

Criminal Defence

David continues to be instructed in cases of serious crime.

He is often instructed privately by high-profile individuals and professionals in a variety of cases, including sexual assaults, coercive and controlling behaviour, death by dangerous driving and other motoring cases. His publicly funded work encompasses homicide and organised crime.

David’s present instructions include conspiracy to murder, murder, “Encrochat” drug offences, sexual assault and a private prosecution for blackmail.

Recent Cases

R v DT

DT is charged with serious Class A drug supply and importation offences. Case ongoing.

R v AP

AP is charged with supplying cocaine and cannabis. Case ongoing.

R v WM

WM is charged with setting up and running multiple cannabis factories. Case ongoing.

R v Warren Barnes

WB was charged with conspiracy to murder. The case had its roots in gang crime and was one of a number of tit-for-tat murders and violent assaults in Salford, Manchester. WB was acquitted following a 6-week ‘Covid’ trial.

R v Jacob Sporon-Fiedler

JSF is presently awaiting confiscation proceedings following his pleas of guilty to importing 15,921kgs of unlicensed Anabolic Androgenic Steroids with an estimated valuation of close to £12 million. The prosecution is seeking a benefit figure of over £27 million and assert that JSF has realizable assets of over £15.5 million.

R v PR

PR pleaded guilty to the possession and distribution of multiple indecent photographs of children, many of which were Category A images. Following his pleas he was sentenced to a suspended sentence of imprisonment.

R v Yahia Cherief

YC was charged with coercive and controlling behaviour in a relationship and assaults on his former partner. He was acquitted following trial.

R v John McGovern

JM was charged with causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving when his car swerved into pedestrians standing at a bus stop. His case was that he had fainted at the wheel and had no recollection of the accident which, in law, required the defence to prove that JM was temporarily insane. Although convicted following trial, JM was sentenced to a suspended sentence of imprisonment.

R v Robert McWhir

RM was charged with murder and perverting the course of justice. The allegation was that he drowned his partner in a shallow brook and, later, asked a prosecution witness to tell the police that the crime had been committed by another person.

R v JA

Successfully represented a 16 year-old youth charged with attempted murder and robbery.

R v E

On an indictment charging attempted rape and sexual assault the jury convicted this Cambridge student of the sexual assault on another Cambridge student.

R v PV

Successfully represented PV who was charged with death by dangerous driving even though he had no recollection of the collision. Expert defence witnesses were instructed from the UK and USA to give their opinion on the phenomenon of “looming”.

R v Harris

Successfully represented partner of TOWIE star charged with large-scale drug dealing, both cocaine and heroin. Harris was alleged to be the ringleader of a large-scale drug operation that was making weekly profits in the hundreds of thousands of pounds.

R v M

Successfully represented hedge-fund manager charged with coercive and controlling behaviour.

R v T

Successfully represented businessman charged with coercive and controlling behaviour.

R v Rosen

Represented defendant charged with running a money laundering business in which £30 million was laundered over a two-year period.

R v DF

Successfully represented a City employee charged with an offence of Assault by penetration under section 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003

R v DW

Successfully represented a property developer of assisting in the running of a brothel.

R v Smith

Represented defendant in a conspiracy to supply cocaine following an investigation that identified multi-kilo importations on 9-11 occasions over a 9- month period.

R v AB

Represented AB for sentence and in Court of Appeal following his convictions for sexual activity with 9 complainants between 1982 and 1989 whilst he had been working as a teacher at two schools.

R v BC

Successfully represented a 20-year old charged with unlawful sexual activity with a 14 year-old.