Jonathan Sandiford KC

“Focuses his practice on prosecution, with a strong track record in trading standards
prosecutions,”

“He has remarkable attention to detail”

“Very experienced in prosecution work”

“Noted for his experience in prosecution work”

THE LEGAL 500

Jonathan Sandiford KC has maintained his reputation as a top-class advocate
throughout his career. He has over 25 years’ experience in complex and sensitive cases
including fraud and Trading Standards prosecutions, murder, terrorism, hate crimes
(racial, religious and sexual orientation) and large scale drug dealing. His expertise and
attention to detail have made him a firm favourite with prosecution agencies
specialising in both crime & regulatory areas and, whilst those relationships continue
to go from strength to strength Jonathan is also regularly instructed to defend by
leading solicitors firms.

Jonathan was sworn in as Queen’s Counsel in March 2020, prior to taking silk Jonathan
regularly undertook work that might have usually been instructed to a QC, this was as
a direct result of the confidence and trust in his abilities shown by the CPS Special Crime
and Counter Terrorist Divisions as well as the eCrime Team of the National Trading
Standards Board.

Between March 2014 and September 2016 he was retained by the Crown Prosecution
Service to advise the IPCC in respect of the investigation into alleged misconduct by
South Yorkshire Police and others in the aftermath of the Hillsborough Stadium disaster.

In 2015 he was instructed as Junior Counsel to prosecute youngest ever defendant
charged and convicted of terrorism offences in the UK for inciting another to launch a
murderous attack on the ANZAC Day Parade in Melbourne, Australia.

He has prosecuted a number of cases involving the stirring up of racial, religious and
other forms of hatred via the internet including the leading case of Sheppard and
Whittle [2010] 1 Cr.App.R 26 in the Crown Court and later the Court of Appeal.

In 2016 – 2017 Jonathan was instructed to prosecute two defendants first case in the
United Kingdom involving the importation and supply via the Dark Web of the highly
concentrated and dangerous opioid, Fentanyl.

In 2017 Jonathan successfully prosecuted a defendant who was stopped at Manchester
Airport as he tried to smuggle a viable improvised explosive device (IED) onto a Ryanair
aeroplane at Manchester Airport with the intention of detonating it in flight.
In 2009 Jonathan was one of the youngest persons to be appointed to sit as a Recorder
(part time judge) on the North Eastern Circuit.