Simon Morgan
Call 1988 (Gray’s Inn)
Qualifications Formerly a solicitor, admitted 1977
Professional Membership Criminal Bar Association; Western Circuit, Member of the Health & Safety Lawyers Association
Judicial Office Deputy District Judge (Magistrates’ Courts) 1998
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Areas of Practice
Simon is one of the senior members of Chambers specialising in crime and regulatory offences. Having spent eleven years practising in crime as a Solicitor, he has an in-depth knowledge of the role and its responsibilities and pressures. He is regularly called upon to advise Civil Solicitors, pre-charge, on the rules and procedures governing detention in Police custody, in cases where their clients are the subject of criminal investigation.
He prosecutes and defends in the most serious criminal cases, and is renowned for his even-tempered and professional approach to his work. He is held in the highest regard by his peers and is seen as an adversary to be respected. He is a Senior Prosecutor (Grade 4) for the Crown Prosecution Service and is a Category ‘A’ Prosecutor on the Attorney General’s List.
Simon has prosecuted and defended in numerous homicide cases, most recently a ‘gangland’ killing involving nine defendants. The trial ran for five months and his client was acquitted. He is currently instructed to defend in a case that involves the kidnap, prolonged torture and killing of a victim held prisoner for several months. He also has conduct of the prosecution of a man for the attempted murder of his ex-girlfriend and her unborn child.
Simon has extensive experience in the field of fraud and duty evasion. He has prosecuted on behalf of the Attorney for many years and has defended in numerous cases of this type. He represented one of the defendants in the largest ever fraud case prosecuted outside of London by the Serious Fraud Office. Last year he was Leading Counsel for the Crown in an evasion of duty case involving five defendants accused of importing counterfeit tobacco to the value of £500,000 from Eastern Europe. He is currently prosecuting a high-value cross-border duty evasion case representing £1 million in lost revenue; he is also defending in a case of conspiracy to breach copyright in relation to the production of counterfeit DVDs.
Recognised as having a particular expertise in health and safety cases, Simon has prosecuted and defended such cases for many years. He is regularly called upon to advise on cases when they are still undergoing investigation. He has recently advised a prosecuting authority with regard to possible action against a sizeable leisure organisation following three deaths and a number of illnesses resulting from Legionnaire’s Disease and a very large building contractor in relation to the implications of a possible prosecution arising from a death on a site. He recently represented a Health Authority in offences arising out of a death from Legionnaires Disease.
Such is Simon’s reputation in cases of causing death by dangerous driving that he invariably has several on-going briefs at all times. Many such cases involve highly technical matters and Simon’s familiarity with this type of evidence is of singular advantage when examining and cross-examining witnesses. He is currently advising the Crown in respect of a fatal collision involving significant technical evidence relating to the movement of persons within a vehicle and designed to establish who was driving at the time. He has been instructed in the past in several ‘look but don’t see’ cases, and several cases where it has been alleged that drivers have fallen asleep, inculding undiagnosed narcolepsy. His recent cases have included a tragic case of multiple deaths following a collision with a mini-bus caused by racing. He also defended in a trial that involved legal argument on the admissibility of breath samples taken in a Police Station (these were excluded) and back/forward calculations of alcohol consumption.
As part of his practice in respect of road traffic deaths and health and safety work, he frequently represents at inquests. This is particularly important in cases where companies or individuals at any risk of prosecution either by the CPS or any other government agency, including the HSE.
Reported Cases
- Hodder & Matthews v DPP (1990) ‘Product’ for purposes of Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
- DPP v Vivier – definition of Public Place
- R v Cardiff MC Exp. Hole (1997) Abuse of process
- Western v DPP (1997) Use of interviews by prosecution and the raising of issue of self defence
- R v Dodman (1998) Courts Martial Appeal Court – strict liability offences
- R v Iles (CA) Sentencing principles for certain sexual offences
Recommendations
VHCC Scheme
- Ranked as a Leading Junior
Chambers UK 2010
- Simon Morgan is particularly experienced in fatal accident cases and has lately been defending and prosecuting murders, money laundering and health and safety matters.
Chambers UK 2009
- Simon Morgan of St John’s Chambers prosecutes and defends in the most serious criminal cases: examples of his work include a murder trial centring around an epileptic man who was held in a shed and starved and tortured in the months before his death. Money laundering and health and safety matters also prove of interest to Morgan; he is considered “particularly good at these cases, as he is commercially minded and necessarily tactful in dealing with people who aren’t used to being told the writing’s on the wall.”
Legal 500 2009
- St John’s Chambers’ Simon Morgan has extensive experience in the field of fraud and duty evasion.
