Nick Wrack

Year of Call: 1997

“Nick is an impressive brief – bright, tenacious, approachable. He is tactically astute and has gravitas in Court. Judges listen to him and the CPS can’t ignore him…”

Lydia Dagostino, Kellys Solicitors

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To get in touch:​ Or you can contact the relevant​ Practice Team Clerks directly and they will be happy to assist with your enquiry.

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Nick is a highly-regarded and much sought-after leading junior who acts in serious and complex criminal cases, including terrorism, serious violence including murder, high-value fraud, sex and large-scale drugs conspiracies. He is regularly instructed privately.

Criminal Defence

Overview

Nick is a highly-regarded and much sought-after leading junior who acts in serious and complex criminal cases, including terrorism, serious violence including murder, high-value fraud, sex and large-scale drugs conspiracies. He is regularly instructed privately.

Notable Cases

R v John Brook (Leeds Crown Court) 2018 & 2017
Client alleged to be head of multiple drug conspiracies. Also charged with money-laundering. Defendant alleged police fabrication of evidence. Acquitted of all charges after three trials.

R v Aga (Hove Crown Court) 2018
Nick was leading counsel for his client who was alleged to have acted in a ‘leading role’ in a drugs conspiracy valued between £6 – 9 million, and money laundering. Seven days into the trial the prosecution accepted a plea on the basis of ‘significant role’. Client sentenced to 13 years (10 + 3 for money laundering), compared with those who had pleaded at PTPH, who each received 16 years each [starting point of 24].

R v MB (Southwark Crown Court) 2018
Nick was leading counsel for a client alleged to be a core organiser of an international fraud covering Asia, North America and Europe, worth £3.1 million. His client was acquitted at Southwark Crown Court after a ten-week trial. Not Guilty.

R v M (Isleworth Crown Court) 2018
Client charged with s.18 wounding. Listed twice for trial. Nick argued successfully for disclosure which forced the Crown to offer no evidence.

R v CH (Southwark Crown Court) 2018
61-year old client charged with male rape in 1980 when he was soldier. Listed twice for trial. Nick argued successfully for disclosure which forced the Crown to offer no evidence. Not Guilty.

R v Yousaf (Birmingham Crown Court) 2018
Attempted Murder. Three-handed stabbing in broad daylight. Covered in Birmingham Mail.

R v MJ (Nottingham Crown Court) 2018
Client acquitted of kidnap and possession of a firearm.

R v KB (Maidstone Crown Court) 2017 and 2018 (retrial)
Nick represented one of 18 accused of an armed robbery involving a mass attack on a travellers’ site in Kent. After two long trials (13 weeks and 7 weeks) in which the juries were unable to reach verdicts, the Crown offered no evidence. Nick’s client was one of only 3 out of 18 defendants to be found not guilty. Covered in Mirror.

R v AK (Central Criminal Court) 2017
Defendant accused of possessing an article likely to be useful to a person committing a terrorist offence, namely an article on how to make bombs. Defendant found Not Guilty after trial.

R v LG (Central Criminal Court) 2017
Breaches of Terrorism Prevention And Investigation Measures (Tpim) Notice (formerly terrorist Control Order).

R v Ellison & others (Southwark Crown Court) 2017
Defendant accused with others of false imprisonment and sexual torture including assault by anal penetration. Defendant, victim and one other witness all had intermediaries.

R v I  (Sheffield Crown Court) 2016
Defendant was one of ten accused of Violent Disorder when they protested against the far-right in Rotherham. They argued that they acted in self-defence and were all found Not Guilty by the jury. BBC coverage.

R v HO (Blackfriars Crown Court) 2016
Defendant & two others charged with attempted murder and s.18 wounding. Client accepted presence at the attack. Found Not Guilty of both charges.

R v CE (Inner London Crown Court) 2016
Defendant charged with unusual offence of engaging in sexual activity (sexual intercourse with a woman) in the presence of a child, for purpose of sexual gratification. Defendant found Not Guilty after trial.

R v RJ (Reading Crown Court) 2016
Defendant accused of multiple rapes of two girlfriends. Nick successfully argued for disclosure of telephone material which resulted in the Crown offering no evidence and client being found Not Guilty of all charges.

R v Shaibu (Central Criminal Court) 2015
Attempted Murder.

R v Morley (Bristol Crown Court) 2015
Defendant charged with large-scale fraud involving second-hand, top-of-the-range car dealership, with multiple victims.

R v Baybasin (Liverpool Crown Court) 2014 [2014] 1 Cr. App. R. 19  [2014] Crim. L.R. 528
Appeal case involving jury irregularities and local practice directions arising out of large-scale drug conspiracy (see 2011 case below).

R v P (Manchester Crown Court) 2013
Defendant alleged to be mastermind behind £2.5 million credit card fraud in which sophisticated software was used to by-pass banking security. Said by prosecution to be ‘unprecedented’.

R v Harrison (Manchester Crown Court) 2013
Defendant pleaded guilty to involvement in a conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. Nick won a trial of issue (Newton Hearing) limiting his involvement to a lessor role, meaning a significantly reduced sentence was imposed.

R v Burke (Central Criminal Court) 2013
Defendant accused of impersonating murdered woman in order to defraud her.

R v Townsend (Central Criminal Court) 2013
Defendant charged with violent disorder arising out of a gang fight at Westfield shopping centre in East London, during which one person was murdered. Crown offered no evidence against defendant before close of prosecution case following Nick’s cross-examination of witnesses.

R v Imran Mahmood (Central Criminal Court) 2013
Preparing acts of terrorism, said to be discussing plans to target the town of Royal Wootton Bassett.

R v Khobaib Hussain (Woolwich Crown Court) 2013
Preparing acts of terrorism: travelling to Pakistan for terrorist training.

R v Farmer [2013] EWCA Crim 126
Nick represented many students arrested during the 2010 student fees protests. This was one of only two trials when his client was convicted. In this case the conviction was overturned on appeal.

R v Baybasin (Liverpool Crown Court) 2011
Nick was leading counsel for the main defendant in one of Britain’s biggest ever drugs importation cases, which involved 40 tonnes of cocaine with a street value of £4 billion Mirror coverage.

R v BX (Central Criminal Court)
Breaching a terrorist control order.

R v Joe Glenton (Court of Appeal) [2010] EWCA Crim 930
In 2010, Nick represented soldier charged with desertion for refusing to do a second tour of duty in Afghanistan. Following substantial written submissions challenging the legality of the war the charge was dropped to being Absent Without Leave (AWOL). Nick features prominently in Joe’s book Soldier Box. Covered in Telegraph.

Iraq v Danny Fitzsimons [2009]
In August 2009 Nick went to Baghdad, Iraq, for a week in extremely hazardous conditions in an attempt to get his client Danny Fitzsimons brought back to the UK. Fitzsimons, a British security worker, was facing the death penalty for the murder of two co-security workers. Whilst Nick was sitting in his hotel lobby in Baghdad it was hit by bomb blasts that killed over 100 people across the city. Covered by Independent.

R v Saleem and others (Kingston Crown Court)
Defendants charged with incitement to commit terrorism (murder) abroad and incitement to raise funds for terrorism.

R v S (F) and A(S) (Central Criminal Court) [2009] 1 Cr. App. R. 18
Dealt with the privilege against self-incrimination in the context of sections 49 and 53 Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000. The trial involved a conspiracy to breach a terrorist control order and a refusal to hand over an encrypted computer file.

R v Tirnaveanu [2007] 2 Cr. App. R. 23 (Canterbury Crown Court)
Nick was leading counsel in a trial and re-trial that lasted over five months. It dealt with allegations of fraud, forgery, deception and immigration offences. In the course of the proceedings Nick successfully submitted that the trial judge should withdraw from the case on the basis of apparent bias against his client.

Contact Nick

Notable Cases & News

Garden Court Chambers and Garden Court North remember Ian Macdonald QC

Garden Court Chambers and Garden Court North were honoured to host a memorial event for Ian Macdonald QC 1939-2019 at Middle Temple Hall on Tuesday 7 February 2023.

17 February 2023

Garden Court secures top tier rankings in the Legal 500 2023

Garden Court Chambers is proud to be recognised as a Top Tier set again in the Legal 500.

30 September 2022

Members of the Garden Court Chambers Crime Team support escalating proposed CBA action to include days of action

17 June 2022

Stephanie Harrison QC, Chair and Joint Head of Garden Court Chambers, comments on the Nationality and Borders Bill receiving Royal Assent

29 April 2022

Garden Court Crime Team statement on no returns action

30 March 2022

Garden Court secures number one rankings in Chambers UK Bar Guide 2022

21 October 2021

Garden Court Chambers Crime Team shortlisted for Crime Set of the Year by Chambers Bar Awards 2021

We are delighted to announce that the Garden Court Chambers Crime Team has been shortlisted by the Chambers Bar Awards 2021 for Crime Set of the Year.

27 August 2021

Final two members of the 'Rotherham 12' acquitted

The final two members of the 'Rotherham 12' were acquitted today following legal argument by Tom Wainwright.

13 February 2018

Ten Asian men cleared of violent disorder against far-right extremists

Nick Wrack, Tom Wainwright and Hossein Zahir represented three of the men.

16 November 2016

Garden Court wins Legal 500 crime set of the year award

The winners in these awards are chosen by the Legal 500 as a result of thousands of interviews with firms, sets and counsel.

8 October 2015

All related news

Background

Nick joined Garden Court Chambers in November 2013 after practising at Tooks Chambers. Prior to coming to the Bar, Nick worked as a journalist and then editor for the socialist newspaper Militant.

Education

  • MA (Cantab)
  • LLB (Cantab)

Professional Membership

  • Criminal Bar Association (CBA)
  • Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers
  • Fraud Lawyers Association

We are top ranked by independent legal directories and consistently win awards.

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