Private Prosecutions London

Any individual or company has the right to bring a private prosecution. A victim of crime may consider doing this if the Police or the Crown Prosecution Service have failed to investigate or prosecute a crime to the victim’s satisfaction.

A private prosecution can be particularly helpful for victims of fraud who are unhappy with how the state has processed their case. For individuals and companies with adequate resources, a private prosecution for fraud or corporate crime can have many advantages over state prosecution, as it can be far quicker, and also allows the victim control over proceedings.

We provide specialist advice to corporate and individual clients who are considering instigating a private prosecution. This involves strategic advice on the prospects of success, including recovery of costs.

Our team can guide you through the process of gathering and presenting evidence in a thorough and clear manner. We liaise with other public prosecuting bodies to ensure we comply with all disclosure exercises and directions, as this is often the key to success in these cases. We work with you at each stage to ensure you are involved in the decision-making process, and we ensure from the outset that we are transparent about likely costs.

In addition, we can assist with defending you or your company against private prosecution. Please also see our main criminal defence pages for more details.