BackgroundKeir Monteith was called to the Bar in 1994. After three years of practice he became one of the founding members of Acre lane Chambers. He also set up a red top legal tabloid that came to prominence in the 1990s. He has acted as a legal advisor for court room scenes
in the Bill. He is currently an external examiner for the BVC
PracticeKeir's practice concentrates on heavyweight crime. He is a well renowned Leader and has led in numerous cases. Some of note are: - A £20M Nat West fraud case. This trial took place in 2008 at Southwark Crown Court.
The case was split into three, and involved an allegation that the defendant and others defrauded the National Westminster bank in the amount of £20,220,629.
Throughout the case Live Note was used. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7547785.stm
- http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=254637&in_page_id=34 - A double-handed armed robbery allegation relating to numerous off licences where the suspects used handcuffs and guns. The defendants faced a further allegation of conspiracy to rob. The prosecution evidence ranged from identification and facial mapping to surveillance, DNA [gun and balaclava] and analysis of alleged exploding bank note residue. - A drive by shooting involving allegations of gangland violence where a pump action shotgun was repeatedly fired at a car containing passengers, on a separate occasion fired at an occupied house and a further allegation of threats to kill. The defence was a combination of duress and identification. - A multi million pound multi handed tobacco importation where Keir's abuse of process submission led others to make applications to vacate their pleas. - A Microsoft counterfeiting case where as a result of obtaining around 10,000 pages of a linked case the trial was stopped and then abandoned. - Keir also specialises in civil liberty law and defending protestors. From allegations of large scale conspiracies to commit criminal damage or Violent Disorder to allegations of harassment and other violence. - http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/17/gaza-armsfactory-protest
http://www.theargus.co.uk/search/2135033.Protesters_target_weapons_factory/
http://www.smashedo.org.uk/pressreleases - Keir has also been instructed in numerous murders, drug importations [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/3289839.stm] and conspiracies, multi million pound tobacco importations, multi million pound confiscations, Escape from custody [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7823776.stm]
The Swansea crossbow case, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/mid/6978049.stm, representing a solicitor in a trial that consisted of over one million documents and a post trial investigation into whether the main prosecution witnesses had committed perjury.
Representing a Law student on allegations of Perjury, The largest radio game show deception and allegations of a multi handed conspiracy relating to Ebay.
Interesting CasesNotable Court of Appeal cases:
Keir also has significant successful experience in the Court of Appeal: R v Heggart [2001] 4 Archbold news 2, ca (page 1257 Archbold 2002); deals with the issue of disclosure and that the old 'custom' of blacking out telephone numbers on cad reports should stop. R v Hatami (Mohammed) [2001] EWCA Crim 1653. Appeal against conviction for unlawful wounding where alleged victim was stabbed in the back and leg. Part of the incident was captured on CCTV and was witnessed by a number of people in broad daylight. Conviction quashed. Director of Public Prosecutions v Jones [2002] EWHC 110 (admin); right to protest and public order notices. R v Jeremy Paul Pepper: R v Kenneth Leslie Barber : R v Martin Lamont : R v G : R v Richard Alexander Murray [2005] EWCA Crim 1181 - guidance on extended sentences under the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 s.85. This case also involved Strap security. R v Crosse (Samuel John) (2005) [2005] EWCA Crim 53. The Lewes prison tennis ball case. The appellant tried to throw a tennis ball containing class A and C drugs over the prison wall. After a successful abuse of process submission in the Crown Court regarding the Class A drugs the eventual sentence was successfully appealed as well. R v Michael Robson [2006] EWCA crim 2749 - A conviction for murder was quashed and a verdict of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility was substituted where the trial judge had delivered a jury direction on diminished responsibility along the same lines as that which was held to be a misdirection in R v Dietschmann (Anthony) (2003) UKHL 10, (2003) Crim LR 550. R v Uyiekpen (Chester) (2008) [2008] EWCA crim 1457. Appeal against conviction for possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply. Conviction quashed.
(Last updated: October 2009)
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