Rupert Kent

• R v G [Central Criminal Court] 2024

  Murder

  Rupert Kent was instructed by the CPS Homicide Unit as led junior in this month-long trial relating to the 2021 killing of a 16-year-old boy, who was murdered in front of his mother at his home address by a group of eight assailants wielding ‘Zombie’ knives. The case involved the calling of expert pathologist, forensic science and cell-site expert evidence, and the presentation of part of the closing speech by junior prosecution counsel after his leader became unavailable to conclude it.

• R v H & 4 Others [Southwark Crown Court] 2024

  Causing Death by Dangerous Driving

  Rupert Kent was instructed by the CPS Homicide Unit in this one-week trial relating to the 2021 death of a pedestrian, caused by the careless driving of the defendant in his public bus. The case involved the calling of an expert pathologist, speaking to the cause of death of the victim, who had died some weeks later from ill-health and complications arising from the incident.

• R v D & 4 Others [Southwark Crown Court] 2024

  Fraud

  Rupert Kent was instructed by Lansbury Worthington Solicitors as led junior in this three-month fraud case involving £20m of funds, misappropriated as a result of a large-scale VAT acquisition fraud involving the use of sham trade to apparently offset output tax received in the course of legitimate transactions.

• R v D [Southwark Crown Court] 2024

  Fraud

  Rupert Kent was instructed by Brooklyn Law as junior alone in this fraud case involving £2m of misappropriated funds, taken from a high net worth individual. After pleading guilty to a lesser offence, albeit relating to the same value of loss, the defendant received a 20-month prison sentence, deemed served through a combination of time spent on remand and on a qualifying curfew.

• R v L [Wood Green Crown Court] 2024

  Attempted Murder

  Rupert Kent was instructed by CPS London North West as junior alone in this one-week trial relating to the 2021 attempted murder by the defendant of his partner, during which incident 10 knife wounds were inflicted. The issue at trial was whether the defendant was capable of forming specific intent, and each party called expert psychiatric evidence as to the mental state of the defendant. 

• R v A [Wood Green Crown Court] 2024

  Attempted Murder

  Rupert Kent was instructed by CPS London North as junior alone in this one-week trial relating to the 2022 attempted murder by the defendant of his partner, after a period of domestic abuse. The case involved calling a vulnerable victim, and several eye-witnesses to the various incidents of violence.

• R v M [Woolwich Crown Court] 2024

  Causing Death by Dangerous Driving

  Rupert Kent was instructed by the CPS Homicide Unit as junior alone in this one-week trial relating to the 2021 death of a 14 year-old boy, caused by the dangerous driving of the defendant. The case involved the calling of expert witnesses, from both sides, in relation to the question of sudden-onset sleep caused by diagnosed severe sleep apnoea.

• R v T & 2 Others [Leeds Crown Court] 2023

  Murder

  Rupert Kent was instructed by the CPS Complex Casework Unit as led junior in this three-handed eight week trial relating to a 2011 murder, in relation to which a witness subject to immunity from prosecution gave evidence as to the torture, murder, burial and subsequent cover-up of the victim.

• R v T [Snaresbrook Crown Court] 2023

  Perverting the course of justice (murder)

  Rupert Kent was instructed by the CPS Homicide Team as a junior alone in this single-handed prosecution relating to activities, conducted 24 hours after a murder, that were intended to remove the murderer from the scene of the crime, hide him from the police overnight, and then remove him from London the following day.

• R v W & 1 Other [Central Criminal Court] 2023

  Murder

  Rupert Kent was instructed by the CPS Homicide Team as led junior in this two-handed seven-week trial relating to a 2018 murder, with knives and a firearm, committed by members of a London gang. The trial involved calling an acquitted defendant from an earlier trial as a prosecution witness.

• R v S & 6 Others [Bournemouth Crown Court] 2023

  Drugs Supply & Modern Slavery

  Rupert Kent was instructed by CPS London South as leading junior in this seven-handed two-month trial focussing on the county lines class A drug supply activity of a London based gang who targeted vulnerable drug addicts in Bournemouth, and used children as drugs runners.

• R v A & 2 Others [St Albans Crown Court] 2023

  Fraud & Bribery

  Rupert Kent was instructed by the CPS’s Serious Economic Organised Crime and International Directorate as a led junior in this three-handed three-month trial centring around the large-scale and dishonest procurement of goods by an employee of, and suppliers to, an NHS Trust.

• R v T & 7 Ors [Leeds Crown Court] 2022

  Money Laundering

  Rupert Kent was instructed by Kangs Solicitors as a led junior in a 7-month trial of eight defendants alleged to have been complicit in the United Kingdom’s largest ever money laundering scheme, in which £266 million in cash was allegedly laundered through the international trading of gold bullion.

• R v B & 3 Others [Southwark Crown Court] 2022

  Money Laundering

  Rupert Kent was instructed by the CPS London Complex Casework Unit as leading junior in this two-handed money laundering case, involving the activities of an organised criminal group who laundered the criminal proceeds of stolen, and ‘rung’, vehicles.

• R v G & 1 Other [Isleworh Crown Court] 2022

  Confiscation

  Rupert Kent was instructed by the CPS Proceeds of Crime Unit as leading junior in a three day contested confiscation proceedings arising out of 1,300 pages of statutory statements and appendices.

• R v C & 7 Ors [Southwark Crown Court] 2021

  Immigration Fraud

  Rupert Kent was instructed by the CPS London Complex Casework Unit as leading junior in this eight-handed immigration fraud, arising from a Home Office investigation into the large-scale abuse of the UKBA’s Tier 2 (skilled workers) leave-to-remain visa system.

• R v AA [CCC] 2021

  Attempted Murder

  Led by Rupert Kent, prosecuting a father charged with attempting to murder his young daughter by stabbing.  Trial was before by a High Court judge, and issues relating to mental health, capacity, and the admissibility of confessions to medical professionals arose.

• Operation Radiator [Manchester Crown Court] 2021

  Revenue Evasion & Money Laundering

  Rupert Kent was instructed by the CPS Specialist Fraud Division as junior alone in this three-handed revenue evasion case, arising from an HMRC investigation into the activities of a UK-based organised criminal network involved in the evasion of £41.5m in tobacco duty, and the smuggling of £6.7m in cash out of the UK.

• R v G & 5 Others [Southwark Crown Court] 2021

  Money Laundering

  Rupert Kent was instructed by the CPS as a junior alone (two-counsel application pending) in this six-handed money laundering case, involving the activities of a bureau-de-change concerned in the large-scale laundering of criminal pound sterling into Euro currency.

• R v S & 3 Ors [Southwark Crown Court] 2021

  Money Laundering

  Rupert Kent was instructed by the CPS London Complex Casework Unit as leading junior in this four-handed money laundering case, involving the activities of an organised criminal group who laundered the criminal proceeds of stolen, and ‘rung’, vehicles.

• R v A [CCC] 2020

  Attempted Murder

  Rupert Kent was instructed as junior alone by the CPS to prosecute this attempted murder, relating to the infliction of serious knife injuries by the defendant upon his infant daughter.

• R v N [Maidstone Crown Court] 2020

  Proceeds of Crime

  Rupert Kent was instructed by DJMS Solicitors as junior alone in this opposed pre-charge application for the extension of a moratorium period under s.336A of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, arising from a Defence Against Money Laundering request made in relation to a suspect bank account.

• R v A & 8 Ors [Kingston Crown Court] 2020

  Drugs Importation

  Rupert Kent was instructed by the CPS as junior alone in this nine-handed drugs case, involving a conspiracy to import large amounts of cocaine into the United Kingdom using HGV vehicles.

• R v A & 8 Ors [Southwark Crown Court] 2020

  Banking Fraud

  Rupert Kent was instructed by ABV Solicitors as junior alone (two-counsel application pending) in this nine-handed fraud case, involving the alleged activities of a criminal network in removing £500,000 from customers’ bank accounts. The case comprises over 50,000 pages of evidence.

• Operation Merseyside-1 [Isleworth Crown Court] 2020

  Proceeds of Crime

  Rupert Kent was instructed by teh CPS Proceeds of Crime Unit as a led junior in confiscation proceedings arising out of this 4-handed conspiracy to convert criminal property prosecution.

• R v C & 7 Others [Southwark Crown Court] 2020

  Immigration Fraud

  Rupert Kent was instructed by the CPS Complex Casework Unit as a led junior in this eight-handed immigration fraud, arising from an HMRC investigation into the large-scale abuse of the UKBA’s Tier 2 (skilled workers) leave-to-remain visa system.

• R v T & 12 Others [Leeds Crown Court] 2020

  Money Laundering

  Rupert Kent was instructed by Kangs Solicitors as a junior alone (QC application pending) in this 13-handed money laundering case, involving the alleged laundering of £260m in the proceeds of crime. The case comprises 15,000 pages of evidence, and the trial has a four-month time-estimate.

• R v C [Guildford Magistrates’ Court] 2020

  Insolvency

  Rupert Kent was instructed as junior alone by the Insolvency Service to prosecute a defendant accused of s.387 Companies Act 2006, s.13 Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986, and s.235 Insolvency Act 1986 offences, and arising from the defendant’s various failures after his property company went into administration.

• R V S & 3 [Ipswich Crown Court] 2020

  Revenue Evasion

  Rupert Kent was instructed by the CPS Specialist Fraud Division in this four-handed revenue investigation case arising from a joint police and HMRC investigation into the activities of a UK-based organised criminal network involved in the evasion of tobacco duty.

• Operation Buster [Leicester Crown Court] 2020

  Drugs Importation & Supply

  Rupert Kent was instructed by ABV Solicitors as a junior alone in this 11-handed drugs conspiracy case, involving the largescale importation and wholesale supply of drugs into and throughout the United Kingdom. The case comprised 12,000 pages of evidence, and this trial (one of four) was listed for 12 weeks.

• Operation Gwendreath [Southwark] 2019

  Money laundering

  Rupert Kent was instructed by the CPS Complex Casework Unit as a led junior in this 18-handed conspiracy to convert criminal property prosecution. The case comprised 8,000 pages of evidence and 270 witnesses, and was split into four trials.

• R v T & 2 ors [Court of Appeal Criminal Division] 2019

  Firearms

  Rupert Kent was instructed by the CPS Appeals & Review Unit as a junior alone to respond in this 3-handed appeal against conviction. The appeal related to the admission of, and directions relating to, wide-ranging gang evidence.

• Operation Auxin [Maidstone] 2019

  Fraud

  Rupert Kent was instructed as leading counsel by the CPS Specialist Fraud Division in a 7-handed fraudulent evasion prosecution investigated by Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs. The case involved complicating fitness-to-plead considerations.

• Operation Cranfield [Southwark] 2019

  Confiscation

  Rupert Kent was instructed by the CPS Complex Casework Unit as a junior alone in confiscation proceedings arising from a £7m drug importation prosecution in which he had appeared as a led junior. The POCA proceedings involved use of a European Investigation Order to gather information from Belgium relating to a pre-existing foreign confiscation order.

• Operation Merseyside [Isleworth Crown Court] 2019

  Money Laundering

  Rupert Kent was instructed by the CPS Complex Casework Unit as a led junior in this 5-handed conspiracy to convert criminal property prosecution.  The case comprised over 12,000 pages of served evidence and almost 100 witnesses, and involved the service and disclosure of US-sourced material.

• Operation W 2019

  Money laundering

  Rupert Kent was instructed by the SFO to give legal professional privilege advice in relation to material seized during the search of a solicitors firm, members of which were being investigated for the layering of criminal profit through international client accounts.

• Operation Mutisia [C.C.C.] 2019

  Money laundering

  Rupert Kent was instructed as leading counsel by the CPS International Justice and Organised Crime Division to prosecute a money laundering case relating to £6m worth of the proceeds of numerous international invoice diversion frauds. This case arose out of a large multi-jurisdictional National Crime Agency investigation, and comprised 6,000 pages of served evidence.

• R v A 2019

  Asset restraint

  Rupert Kent was instructed by the CPS Proceeds of Crime unit to make an ex parte restraint application under s.41 POCA 2002 (relying on ss.40 & 22), as a precursor to a s.22 application for recalculation of the available amount in confiscation proceedings.

• Operation Wintergreen [Southwark] 2019

  Investment fraud

  Rupert Kent was instructed as junior counsel by the CPS Specialist Fraud Division in a conspiracy to defraud case arising from a large-scale, complicated, carbon credits ‘investments’ scam leading to £2.4m worth of loss, and comprising over 15,000 pages of evidence.

• R v P [Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court] 2018

  Insolvency

  Rupert Kent was instructed as junior alone by the Insolvency Service to prosecute a defendant accused of a s.354 Insolvency Act 1986 concealing property offence, arising from the removal of property after the making of a bankruptcy order, itself arising from an initial failure to pay taxes to HMRC.

Notable Cases