Home / Our People

Michael Oliver

1977

Michael is a specialist in serious crime - including fraud and drug importation, murder and criminal cases involving mental health or immigration issues. He has practised over a wide area of subjects but has specialised in (i) serious crime, with an emphasis on serious fraud and drug importation, (ii) cases involving mental health and fitness to plead, and (iii) terrorism in the criminal court and in the Special Immigration Appeals Commission.

Michael has extensive experience in sitting at hearings of the Asylum and Immigration Appeal Tribunal and in chairing hearings of the Mental Health Review Tribunal.

Recent Cases

• R v Cartwright Represented woman accused of forging £300,000 will of wealthy man she befriended
  Luton Crown Court, July 2010
• R v Lakatos Represented one of several family members in feud allegedly involving a girl's kidnap
  Peterborough Crown Court, July 2010
• R v Yu Represented a Chinaman involved in a series of cannabis factories
  Sheffield Crown Court, July 2010
• R v Zheng Represented a woman accused of £400,000 trademark importation and money laundering
  St Albans Crown Court, July 2010

Forthcoming Cases

• R v Hussain Representing solicitor accused of inciting his client to intimidate a witness
  Lincoln Crown Court, September 2010
• R v Saben Representing a senior bank employee accused of stealing £60000 over a number of years
  Luton Crown Court, October 2010

News

• Team from 15 New Bridge Street represents mother who killed her 5-year-old child
  15 January 2010
• Michael Oliver backed by House of Lords
  Michael Oliver, sitting as an Immigration Judge on appeal from the Home Secretary's decision to refuse a Sierra Leonean woman asylum on the ground of her fear of enforced female genital mutilation on return was unanimously upheld by the House of Lords in
  1 December 2006

Articles

• Reliance On Advice At The Police Station
  Michael Oliver discusses whether the advice given by a solicitor to remain silent is good enough to prevent the inference that the client could reasonably have been expected to answer the questions.
  2004
• Is a Defence Statement evidence?
  In a recent case, the Crown sought to use the Defence Statement as evidence in its prosecution. The outcome of the case, as highlighted by Michael Oliver, leaves the situation still unresolved.
  2002
• ID Parades - Know your Forbes from your Popats
  To hold an ID parade or not? That is the question explored by Michael Oliver. In this short article, Michael highlights several recent cases where it was held that there was no need hold an ID parade.
  2002
• Discovering 'Whodunnit' In Three Acts
  This year [2000], three significant events will take place that will each have potentially far-reaching effects on the detection and prosecution of white-collar fraud.
  2000