Ben Darabi
Director
Ben is an experienced and highly sought-out practitioner who specialises in serious and complex crime. He has particular expertise in homicide, serious drugs, money laundering, serious violence, and firearm related offences. He was instructed to defend multiple clients for EncroChat prosecutions.
Ben has a formidable reputation and is instructed to defend in very high-profile cases. He has a huge client following and is one of the busiest practitioners in the country. Ben frequently defends and advises clients from the music industry, including numerous award-winning and chart-topping artists, and has also advised and defended a BAFTA winning actor. Ben is often instructed on homicide related offences, serious drugs, and violence offences, including cross border prosecutions. He represented a key defendant in a NCA led money laundering case, described as ‘one of the biggest of its kind to be busted by the NCA.’
Ben successfully defended the former chief of police of Romania for an allegation of sexual assault. He often represents individuals who face prosecution from the Crown Prosecution Service, His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, the National Crime Agency, and the Serious Fraud Office.
His confident, no-nonsense approach, coupled with his empathy and great client care skills, make Ben a popular choice for lay clients. Over the years he has built up strong relationships with some of the best counsel and forensic experts, which he often deploys to challenge prosecution evidence and strengthen the defence of his clients.
His notable cases include:
HOMICIDE/GRAVE RELATED OFFENCES
- R v PAT – Central Criminal Court – Representing alleged leading member of a prominent gang, who ordered a drive by shooting murder rival gang territory. The background of this case involves a long-standing tit-for-tat war, involving prominent Northwest London gangs. PAT was alleged to have orchestrated a ‘ride-out’ where a wake service was being held, where senior members of a rival gang were said to be in attendance. A group of people attending the service were gathered outside the church, when a car pulled up and discharged a firearm at the group. One woman was killed, and two other men sustained life changing injuries.
Michelle Sadio: Murder accused deny Harlesden drive-by shooting - BBC News
- R v CBG - Central Criminal Court – Representing defendant in an alleged gang related murder. CBG and his co-defendants are alleged to be members of the infamous global gang ‘Los Trinitarios.’ It is alleged there was a fall out with other members of the gang, which resulted in a large-scale disorder involving twelve people, all armed with machetes. The deceased sustained over fourteen stab wounds and had his eyes gouged out, in what was described by the pathologist as ‘some of the worst injuries he had ever seen.’
- R v ASM – Central Criminal Court – Representing a 15-year-old youth defendant, charged with murder. ASM and his co-defendants attended an under 18’s event and at the conclusion of which large scale disorder broke out near the venue. ASM and his co-defendants were alleged to have attacked and stabbed two other youth’s, one of them dying at the scene.
Old Kent Road stabbing: Boy charged with teenager's murder - BBC News
- R v NJK – Central Criminal Court – Secured an acquittal for the first defendant in a complex multi-handed/defendant trial of a young and vulnerable youth. He was the lead defendant and was accused of murder and violent disorder in a playground. The core allegation was that the client was accused of unlawfully stabbing the deceased in the chest. This incident was captured on mobile phone footage, and the general tumult was witnessed by parents and young people playing in the park. This case posed unique and difficult challenges in the context of murder trials. There were a number of young and vulnerable eyewitnesses which required delicate care and skill to navigate the adverse parts of the Crown’s case and advance the defence position. This was an extremely difficult gradient to climb because the mobile footage, although not capturing the whole incident, showed the fatal incident clearly with sound. NJK ran argued he was acting in self-defence and was acquitted of all charges.
Asadiq Mohamed killed trying to reclaim stolen chains, court hears - BBC News
- R v HS – Central Criminal Court – Acted for defendant who admitted the killing of a local drug dealer with a knife. HS was 17 years old at the time of the incident on 28 July 2023, and asserted he acted in self-defence. The Crown relied on CCTV evidence, including of the incident which captured the deceased in his car as he was stabbed, and eyewitness testimony from members of the public. The case engaged bad character of the deceased, disclosure issues in relation to the deceased’s mobile phone and social media use, and expert medical and toxicology evidence. The Defence case pursued lines of inquiry on issues of fact, which allowed SH’s account on self-defence to be corroborated at trial. At the conclusion of a three-week trial, SH was acquitted of murder and manslaughter.
- R v RL – Snaresbrook Crown Court – RL was charged with murder of a 17-year-old male on a busy London street. The confrontation on Hackney Road was captured in its entirety by a series of CCTV cameras. The prosecution alleged that the defendant acted in response to a Snapchat post from the deceased, which identified his location at a food shop on Hackney Road, and went armed with a 23-inch machete intent on violence. Following a confrontation RL stabbed the deceased through the heart and pursued to chase him across the street. The defendant maintained that he was the victim of the deceased’s aggression and that he was acting in self-defence. RL was acquitted of murder.
Hackney stabbing victim named by police as 17-year-old charged with murder | The Standard
- R v TM – Central Criminal Court – Representing well known drill rapper for an allegation of murder in a tit for tat gang feud involving two notorious London based gangs. TM was extradited from Kenya to face criminal charges.
- R v AD – Central Criminal Court - - Represented defendant charged with murder and attempted robbery of the son of a Middle Eastern Sheikh, in the ‘Harrods murder.’ The co-defendant ran a cutthroat defence. AD was acquitted of murder and attempted robbery.
Knightsbridge killing: Man guilty of murdering student - BBC News
- R v HO – Central Criminal Court – Represented defendant charged in a multi handed tit for tat ‘ride out’ murder involving two notorious London based gangs. HO was acquitted.
Drill rapper jailed for life over the murder of father Asante Campbell | Evening Standard
- R v FA – Central Criminal Court – Represented defendant charged in a multi handed case said to have lured and murdered victim, following a dispute over an unpaid drugs debt. FO was acquitted.
- R v JA – Central Criminal Court – Represented defendant charged in a multi handed knife murder, following a dispute over drugs. JA acquitted.
- R v NH – Central Criminal Court – Represented youth defendant charged with the broad day stabbing and Murder of another man on a busy London high road. NH was acquitted.
- R v HH – Central Criminal Court – Represented defendant charged with murder in a revenge shooting, following the robbery of a drugs line. HH was acquitted.
- R v SK – Manchester Crown Court – Represented defendant in a multi handed conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to possess firearms with intent to endanger life in a tit for tat gang feud involving the notorious A team gang. SK was alleged to have been involved in a conspiracy where four shootings were carried out in under 48 hours. SK was acquitted.
- R v ME – Preston Crown Court – Represented defendant in multi handed allegation of Murder. Me was alleged to be part of a county line drugs gang, who stabbed and killed a man as part of a drug turf war. ME was acquitted.
Kris Kam death: Two jailed for 'cowardly' street stabbing - BBC News
- R v DK – Ipswich CC – Represented defendant in multi handed allegation of murder. DK was alleged to be part of a country line drugs gang alleged to have murdered a man who allegedly robbed one of the gang’s drug runners.
- R v CK – Central Criminal Court – Representing well known rapper for perverting the course of justice in a multi handed Murder trial. CK was alleged to be a leading member of a notorious London based gang who arranged and directed the destruction of a vehicle, following the broad day execution of a rival gang member.
Gunman 'carefully planned' murder of dad shot in the face outside Wembley chicken shop - MyLondon
- R v LF – Central Criminal Court – Represented defendant in a multi handed prosecution in what was a legal first, where the defendants were charged with the murder of one of their gang associates, following a shootout with a rival group. The crown accepted the victim had been shot and killed by the rival group. The prosecution was on the basis that the defendants engaged in a shootout with the opposition in which both sides agreed to shoot and to be shot at - knowing it was a virtual certainty that the other side would fire back. LF was initially charged with conspiracy to murder. The charges were later amended and LF faced a trial for perverting the course of justice for burning out the vehicle used in the ride out.
OTHER SERIOUS CRIME:
- R v NCJ – Isleworth Crown Court – Represented NCJ in a NCA led investigation. NCJ was alleged to be a high-ranking member of an OCG charged with being concerned in the fraudulent importation of a class A drug following approximately 150 kilograms of cocaine (with a street value of up to £14 million) being found in banana pallets imported from the Dominican Republic to Portsmouth International Port. NCJ was arrested at the unit the banana pallets were being delivered to, while unpacking said pallets. The case involved complex and extensive cell site evidence and messages between defendants relating to Class A drugs. At the conclusion of the three-week trial at Isleworth Crown Court, the jury found NCJ not guilty.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-68151495
- R v BL – Wood Green Crown Court – Represented BL in one of the longest ever trials held at Wood Green Crown Court, lasting 8 months. The Crown alleged that BL, along with a number of other individuals, was part of a very prominent organised crime group responsible for supplying enormous quantities of high purity cocaine across the best part of a year. The Crown were not able to quantify the total weight supplied in these multi-kilo deals of cocaine and other types of illegal drug. A specialist unit was put together to investigate and prosecute these alleged offences. The police conducted very sophisticated surveillance with an elite police squad using video and photography. Officers gave evidence and were cross examined exhaustively by the defence as to whether they had witnessed the client in exchanges of high value drugs. The Crown alleged the use of machinery including a hydraulic press to manufacture kilo upon kilo blocks of cocaine embossed with a logo for quality control and branding in the drug world. The evidence in the case ran to 100,000s pages of evidence. There was some peripheral element of EncroChat analysis. A lot of the Crown evidence was built on the product of interrogation of ordinary internet enabled phones. The Crown also relied on photos and videos showing multiple kilos of cocaine and thousands of cash bundles. BL was unanimously acquitted, and the only defendant to be found not guilty.
- R v CF – Harrow Crown Court – Represented chart topping rapper in an EncroChat prosecution. CF was alleged to have been the mastermind behind a very large-scale importation of cannabis and the large-scale distribution of Class A drugs. CF was alleged to have conspired to import close to one tonne of cannabis over the conspiracy period. After months of negotiations with the prosecution an extraordinary deal was secured for CF for importation on just 28kg of cannabis and the distribution of class A charges being dropped.
- R v MA – Isleworth Crown Court – In a NCA led investigation, MA was alleged to be a high-ranking member of a money laundering ring, described as the biggest of its kind to have been busted by the NCA. It is alleged that £104 million in criminal cash, from dozens of UK drugs gangs, was transported to Dubai. The cash was transported by couriers in suitcases and once they arrived in Dubai, they would use a gold trading company, with links to the ruling family in Dubai, to declare the proceeds as legitimate funds. The money would then be converted into dirhams, with some used to buy gold in Africa or cryptocurrency, before being released back to the customers in the UK.
- R v PSG – Warwick Crown Court – Represented award winning rapper in a multi handed large scale violent disorder and section 18 stabbing. PSG was alleged to have been part of a group that chased, stabbed, and assaulted another man. PSG pleaded guilty to a later violent disorder but denied the stabbing and an earlier violent disorder. He was acquitted of the violent disorder, and no evidence was offered on the section 18 stabbing.
Rapper Pa Salieu cleared of violent disorder incident - BBC News
- R v IM – Snaresbrook Crown Court – Represented defendant charged for the multi handed prosecution of the armed robbery of former world boxing champion and Olympic medallist Amir Khan. IM was alleged to have organised the gun point robbery of the boxer. IM was acquitted following a trial.
Amir Khan: Armed robbery was scarier than any of my fights - BBC News
- R v MB – Isleworth Crown Court – Represented defendant in multi handed conspiracy to possess firearms with intent to endanger life. The defendant had previous convictions for firearms, and it was alleged that police surveillance showed a video of the defendant burying the firearm in a woodland area of a park. MB was acquitted.
- R v SLW – Southwark Crown Court – Represented defendant charged with attempted murder and possession of firearm with intent to endanger life. SLW was captured on CCTV shooting the victim. SLW argued he was acting in self-defence and that the victim was a rival gang member being threatening towards him. SLW was acquitted.
- R v JP – Harrow Crown Court – Represented defendant charged in a multi handed conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent and conspiracy to rob £1 million pounds worth of drugs from rival dealers with a firearm. Police surveillance witnessed the robbery and alleged that JP was the one in possession of the firearm. A police chase ensued and the firearm was recovered from the car seat JP occupied. JP also had previous convictions for firearms. JP was acquitted.
- R v KK – Lewes Crown Court – In a NCA led investigation, KK is alleged to be a member of a European people smuggling OCG. It is alleged that KK and others orchestrated the entry of a large number of illegal immigrants, using rigid hull inflatable boats to travel across the English Channel.
- R v MG & MG – Kingston Crown Court – Represented two sisters charged as part of a wider conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation. The underlying fraud involved a sophisticated spoofing operation, where co-defendants targeted wealthy individuals, posing as their bank in order to dupe them into giving them access to their bank cards and financial information. The prosecution alleged the sisters were part of an operation where the compromised cards and financial details were used to purchase crypto currency, high end jewellery, and clothing. The total loss to the victims of the spoofing fraud was in excess of £2 million. Following a 2-week trial at Kingston Crown Court, both sisters were acquitted. Matthew Buckland and Alexandra Scott of Mountford chambers were instructed.
- R v ASF – Kingston Crown Court – Represented defendant charged with a conspiracy to possess firearms with intent to endanger lives. ASF was alleged to be a member of the Harrow Road Boys (HRB) gang, embroiled in an ongoing rivalry involving tit-for-tat violence, which concerned rappers Fredo and Digga D. ASF, Fredo and other HRB gang members were said to be actively seeking high ranking rival gang members, including rapper Digga D, to shoot as part of the ongoing feud, which resulted in numerous murders. Four firearms belonging to the HRB gang were recovered as part of this conspiracy. This complex investigation uncovered messages and a snapchat group of HRB members, including all eight defendants and rapper Fredo, brazenly discussing plans to obtain firearms and seek out rivals. A ‘hit list’ identifying suitable rival gang members was shared amongst members of the gang. The case also involved covert police surveillance and bad character applications. Following a 3-month trial at Kingston Crown Court, ASF was the only defendant acquitted of the conspiracy to possess firearms with intent to endanger life. Six co-defendants received a 17-year prison sentence, and the other a 14-year term.
- R v JE – Lewes Crown Court – JE was alleged to have been involved, with 6 others, in a conspiracy to supply cannabis through legitimate business enterprises in the UK throughout 2019 and 2020.The businesses imported hemp plant material with a THC content of less than 0.2%, and supplied it as CBD flowers in the UK. Prior to Brexit in 2019 and 2020, it was not unlawful to import and supply hemp plant material with a THC content of less than 0.2%.
The Crown’s evidence included forensic tests of the plant material that found THC levels exceeding the 0.2% threshold. However, the police had failed to follow the rules prescribed by the European Union in testing the plant material. After extensive legal arguments, those test results were ultimately ruled as being inadmissible under section 78 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. Following the exclusion of this evidence, after 9 weeks at Portsmouth Crown Court, the prosecution offered no evidence on the indictment for all defendants. The jury was duly directed to return not guilty verdicts on all counts.
- R v SZ – Basildon Crown Court – Represented defendant in an EncroChat prosecution where it was alleged that SZ was the mastermind behind the importation and distribution of over 200kg of cocaine.
- R v AS – Harrow Crown Court – Representing defendant charged in a multi handed conspiracy to supply 80kg of cocaine.