Shina has previously worked at the United Nations, and a variety of non-profit legal organisations including JUSTICE and Modernising Justice (formerly the Homicide Review Advisory Group). He now applies the skills he learned from these challenging and fulfilling roles in the preparation of his own cases.
Criminal Defence
Shina specialises in criminal defence including terrorism, financial crime and protest rights. Shina has appeared as a sole advocate and as a led junior in high-profile, serious and complex cases. His noteworthy experience includes representation in the following:
- Being led in a four-month terrorism trial, Shina represented the interests of a vulnerable young person accused of being a member of a terrorist organisation.
- Being instructed as junior counsel for the second defendant on the indictment charged with murder amongst four other defendants.
- Successfully represented a defendant charged with possession of a loaded firearm found in marshes. The Defence case involved cross-examination of a dog handler and establishing the limitations of DNA and fingerprint evidence.
- In a five-month trial, representing the second defendant of nine, who was the alleged right-hand man to the head of an organised crime group. The defendants were accused of being involved in a class A drugs conspiracy and laundering the money made from it. Shina cross-examined the financial analyst which led to their admission of flaws in various aspects of their analysis of the Defendant’s finances.
- Shina has appeared as the sole advocate in cases involving GBH (knives, and guns), coercive and controlling behaviour, robbery, burglary and dangerous driving causing serious injury.
- Representing vulnerable adults and children found to be unfit to plea.
Additionally, Shina is highly regarded and recognised for his conscientious and tactful approach, and his ability to engage sensitively with a diverse range of people, and those with complex support needs.
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Protest Rights
Shina has an academic background in the cross over between protests rights and criminal law. At university, he was awarded for achieving the highest marks of his cohort in his human rights law module. Shina now applies the knowledge learned academically in the preparation of his own cases. His noteworthy experience includes representation in the following:
- Successfully representing a number of protestors at the Old Bailey (as reported in the BBC, and the Independent).
- Acquittals for two of the Barclay Card Six, who were alleged to have caused Criminal Damage at Barclays Headquarters.
- Representing Palestine Action protestors charged with conspiracy to commit criminal damage to the headquarters of an arms manufacturing company. The Defendants were protesting the company's role in the manufacture of armed drones.
- In a multi-handed case where four fox hunt monitors were accused of aggravated trespass on a farm, Shina represented two of the Defendants. The Defence were able to establish the police bias within the investigation (bias in favour of the Farmers), and its impact on the Defendants' cases. All four Defendants were acquitted.
- Instructed as junior counsel for one of 30 Defendants charged with riot. This offence is rarely charged and has raised unusual and complex legal and practical issues.
Shina has defended protesters from a range of groups/causes, including but not limited to Extinction Rebellion, Black Lives Matter, Fox Hunt Monitors, and those involved in protesting the illegal felling for HS2.
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FINANCIAL CRIME & REGULATORY INVESTIGATION
Shina is regularly instructed in complex and document-heavy criminal and regulatory cases, with a particular focus on financial services. Shina has experience working for individuals and regulators, in cases brought by the FCA, SFO, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and Care Quality Commission. His noteworthy experience includes representation in the following:
- In proceedings brought by the SFO against Barclays Bank, Shina assisted in preparing advice and research.
- Shina assisted on both sides of cases brought by FCA, which were dual-track investigations (regulatory and criminal) against multi-national banks, and venture capital companies.
- Tom Wainwright and Shina Animashaun secured acquittal in £20m cryptocurrency money laundering trial.
- Shina has worked with Allen & Overy LLP on a dual-practising basis in order to advise a financial institution on an extremely complex and large-scale FCA investigation.
- Advised a multinational information technology company on potential criminal exposure for alleged errors in its acquisition process.
- Assisted in an internal investigation of the conduct of senior executives at a major manufacturing company to assess potential criminal and civil liability.
- Extensive experience in sensitive and complex disclosure exercises involving large volumes of material. Shina is experienced in using Relativity, Axiom, and LexisNexis E-Discovery software. Shina can swiftly digest and understand complex and varied information, and separate the relevant from the irrelevant when forming judgments.
