Jonathan Higgs KC

Practice Profile

Jonathan Higgs KC is a leading criminal silk ranked in both the Chambers UK Guide to the Bar and the Legal 500 directories and is a specialist criminal practitioner, appearing in high profile criminal trials throughout the UK as well as the Appellate Courts. Since taking silk in 2011 he has quickly established a first class reputation as a leading silk, appearing regularly at the Old Bailey and throughout the UK.

His practice is primarily concentrated upon offences of homicide, serious and organised criminal activity and all cases involving serious fraud, money laundering and revenue evasion as well as other large-scale conspiracies. Jonathan is regularly instructed to advise clients under investigation by the SFO, FSA, DTI and FPS. Additionally he has appeared in numerous cases involving sexual offending and historic sexual abuse.

He has appeared before the Administrative Court in many judicial reviews, is an expert in military law and has been instructed by the Army Legal service in Courts Martials. Jonathan has been instructed to appear on the Isle of Man. Additionally, he has a wealth of experience before the Appellate Courts and is often instructed post conviction in cases in which he was not the trial advocate. Fees in these cases are agreed by the Senior Clerk.

Jonathan Higgs KC is able to accept instructions direct from the public in appropriate cases. For further information in this regard please contact the Senior Clerk.

Jonathan's Privacy Policy can be downloaded here.

Other Work:

Lex lapidus.  Jonathan Higgs KC was the central character in Swedish international bestseller Jens Lapidus’ [Easy Money, Stockholm Noir] documentary on the English legal system, screened on Swedish television in 2020.​

News

• R v SB & Others [Southwark] 2021

  Assassination of Rival International OCG

  Gordon Carse, led by Jonathan Higgs KC, represented an alleged member of a Swedish hit team, hired to assassinate a leading member of a rival international OCG. The case made national headlines due to the professionalism of the assassination, in which latex masks and other disguises were used prior to the shooting. The shooting itself was designed to be shocking, taking place on Christmas Eve on the victim’s doorstep and in front of his family.

• R v LG & 4 ors [Manchester CC] 2020

  Homicide

  Jonathan Higgs QC represented LG in the final instalment of the notorious Salford gang wars of 2015, when machine guns, pump action shotguns, machetes and even military handgrenades were used in a series of executions and assassination attempts spreading all across Manchester and then abroad to Spain. LG was acquitted of all charges.

  News Report Here.

• R v. KM & 2 ors [C.C.C.] 2019

  Enfield murder & attempted murder by Shooting

  Jonathan Higgs QC successfully defended this client who was acquitted of the joint enterprise murder of an North London student who was stabbed multiple times and shot following a late night altercation. A second victim survived multiple stab wounds. The two other defendants were convicted and sentenced to serve a minimum of 29 years each. Instructed by Phaedon Georgiou of Joseph Hill Solicitors.

  News report here.

• R v. NT & ors [Maidstone] 2018

  Drink & Drugs fueled Killing of Kent Man

  Jonathan Higgs QC leading James Martin for Goldkorns Solicitors. Three people were charged with Murder following the discovery of a body left in the stairwell of a block of flats in Chatham. The deceased and the three charged were known drug users and the death had occurred in a nearby flat occupied by one of the accused.

  The previous few days were carefully pieced back together by the investigatory team using a combination of CCTV footage, eye witness accounts and call records as well as some footage from mobile phones.

  There were complex issues of causation due to the post-mortem findings and in particular the neuro-pathology results. Besides the factual complications there were also issues relating to identification and also joint-enterprise.

• R v. Davis [C.C.C.] 2017

  Self Defence Murder

  Jonathan Higgs QC led Paul Jackson for the defence of this young male charged with murder. The Crown’s case was that the defendant stabbed the deceased 14 times in a matter of seconds. Whilst the defendant accepted causing the death of the deceased, he asserted that the deceased attacked him with a knife which he was able to take off of him and then acted in self-defence. The defendant was found not guilty.

  BBC report here.

View All Cases

Notable Cases

• Operation Cent [C.C.C.] 2013

  Anti-corruption unit worldwide investigation re: bomb detection units

  Jonathan Higgs QC leading Jonathan Polnay represented a defendant in the much publicised Old Bailey trial involving the worldwide sale of "fake" bomb detection devices. Instructed by Gary Bloxsome of Blackfords LLP.

  BBC news report here.