Nick James successful in three-month long trading fraud trial

Nick James James, leading Violet Smart of Doughty Street Chambers, represented a woman of good character charged with fraudulent trading. Following a three-month trial at St Alban’s Crown Court, she was acquitted by the jury.

Their client was a senior broker at a wine investment company with a £30m turnover alleged to have mis-sold blue-chip wines to hundreds of clients. Employed for 8 years, it was alleged that she had been a party to carrying on the business for a fraudulent purpose by making false claims about wine and its investment potential.

The defence case, presented through witnesses and company documentation, was that she only ever acted as she was trained to do and in compliance with company procedures.

Nick and Violet were instructed by Tricia O'Sullivan of Sperrin Law.