Nerida Harford-Bell has a wide-ranging criminal practice and is regularly instructed to lead in complex criminal cases. She has built up considerable expertise in cases involving serious sexual offences including multiple and historic rapes and child abuse including multi-handed grooming cases.
She is also experienced in cases involving: money laundering and fraud including advance fee, banking immigration and internet fraud; confiscation; serious violence; representation of women who have killed their children whilst suffering from mental disorders; large-scale importation/supply drug cases; appellate work and inquests.
Criminal Defence
Overview
Nerida is regularly instructed to lead in criminal cases, including sexual offences involving many historical allegations against very young children, many of which date back decades, which have come to light in the wake of the Jimmy Saville enquiry. She is currently instructed as leading counsel in an 11-handed child grooming case.
She has experience acting in cases involving serious violence, large-scale importation/supply drug cases, appellate work and inquests.
Nerida represents clients across the social spectrum and will represent all who come to her fearlessly and with immense skill, regardless of the crime with which they are charged. Nerida sees it as important to establish an easy rapport with clients, particularly with younger, immature or inarticulate members of the public to enable them to have a voice. She is highly experienced in dealing with expert witnesses.
Nerida has undertaken training and has trained others in cross-examining Vulnerable Witnesses and is very experienced in cases where Intermediaries have been instructed both for prosecution witnesses and defendants. Nerida is highly skilled in cross-examining witnesses, many of whom are very young or vulnerable.
Notable Cases
Violence (including sexual violence) against the person
R v Hedley - Historic allegations of sexual abuse by uncle on two nieces. Defendant was acquitted in relation to one complainant.
R v IMK - representing long-term prisoner charged with serious assault on another prisoner. Client acquitted.
R v Stoican and 5 others - representing the second named defendant, alleged to have been the madam and enforcer for a serious organized crime gang who had trafficked women from Romania to the UK as sex workers.
Matthew Quarterman - historic allegations of rape by brother on sister. Jury returned not-guilty verdicts on all counts.
Samuel Modeste - representing defendant charged with attempted murder and two counts of wounding with intent. After a trial, the special verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity was returned and he was made subject to a s.37 with restriction order under the Mental Health Act.
R v Khan and others
Gangland shooting. To be tried at end of year.
Instructed in slavery case involving in excess of 50 complainants.
Defendants all of the Roma community and complainants vulnerable Polish men and women. Due to commence in New Year.
R v Tanweer Ali and others
Instructed in a Rotherham multi-handed child grooming case with political and racial issues, due to run for 8-10 weeks in Sheffield in the Autumn.
R v Iqbal and others, Oxford Crown Court: Oxford child grooming case.
Five months, 11 defendants, nine convicted. Nerida represented the second defendant leading Michael Goold. Widely reported in the media including BBC.
R v B: Attempted murder by a defendant with Asperger's syndrome who was accused of stabbing a total stranger 24 times. Defendant acquitted of attempted murder.
R v Mohammed and Stakele - alleged rape of Norwegian tourist by two separate men both of whom were strangers to her and each other. Successfully secured acquittal. Case was widely reported in the media.
R v [D] and 2 others - representing main defendant in very serious sex case, where husband, wife and friend are charged with multiple rapes and sexual assaults on various family members over a ten-year period. The complainants were all vulnerable witnesses, with variously educational and or mental health problems.
R v Glenister: leading counsel in historic alleged rapes of young child, involving over 50 binders of disclosure. Successfully mounted abuse half-time submission.
R v B: rape by stepfather over a 5-year period.
R v Byfield: multiple rapes of sister by brother over a decade 30 years ago.
R v Sial: alleged "honour rapes of wife within marriage".
R v L: alleged serial rapes of daughter over a number of years.
R v H (historic sex allegations 20 counts of rape and buggery of defendant's sister between ages 7-13 and son aged 5-13 spanning 15-year time period)
R v Ikram (honour rape case across two jurisdictions - Pakistan and UK)
R v Ngola, Blackfriars CC (historic rape involving Congolese community, multi-complainant) R v Minchin, St Albans CC (historic rape and indecent assault across three generations of a family)
Murder/Homicide
R v Addison: successfully defended a female charged with two counts of Perverting Justice. She was the girlfriend of a male charged with a postcode gang murder.
R v: an attempted murder by a defendant with Asperger's syndrome (accused of stabbing a total stranger 24 times. Defendant acquitted of attempted murder)
R v Malachi Halstead and others, Hove Crown Court (conspiracy to murder. Represented, as sole advocate, a rap artist charged with four others with a "gangland contract shooting". Defendant was successfully acquitted)
R v Dhillion & another (attempted murder of homeless alcoholic by group resulting in multiple slash and stab wounds to neck/throat/head severing main arteries. Represented 18-year-old vulnerable defendant in a cut-throat defence with mentally disordered co-defendant. Resulted in unanimous not guilty on all counts for defendant)
R v McCarvill, Maidstone CC (murder by mother of her child)
R v Begum, Central Criminal Court (manslaughter/child cruelty)
R v Latta, Winchester CC (baby shaking murder of baby)
R v John Barrett, Central Criminal Court (fatal stabbing of cyclist in park)
R v A CCC (Gang stabbing)
R v Alan Hedgcock, Southwark CC (conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to rape in virtual reality)
R v Faisal Wangita, CCC (gang land mob stabbing)
Drug offences
R v Kochar and others: international importation/ drug supply class A.
R v Capone & others (leading junior, leading Alex Rose, in eight-handed Conspiracy to supply crack and heroin, class A drugs throughout England)
R v Malvern & another, St Albans CC (conspiracy to import Cocaine)
R v Marchelleck, Luton CC (conspiracy to supply large consignment of Cannabis)
R v Ryan, Kingston CC (firearms and drugs)
R v Asonye, Woolwich CC (conspiracy to import Cannabis and Cocaine)
R v Theodore, Kingston CC (conspiracy to manufacture class B drugs)
Contact Nerida
Financial Crime and Confiscation
Overview
Nerida has built up considerable expertise in cases involving money laundering and fraud including advance fee, banking immigration and internet fraud.
Notable Cases
R v Diljan Malhotra and 12 others
Successfully secured a 'not guilty' verdict for their client on two charges of money laundering. They were alleged to be one of the ringleaders of an international money laundering crime organisation. £40 million is said to have been laundered by couriers taking cash from the UK to Dubai, India and Hong Kong. Three of the co-defendants are also said to have participated in a people-smuggling conspiracy with another associated money laundering conspiracy. The four month trial took place from the beginning of January to the end of April 2023. The defendants were sentenced in September 2023. The case was covered in Sky News. Nerida led Giles Newell.
R v Milton and others
Case involves the setting up of a fraudulent company selling shares in nonexistent property. Fraud prosecuted by SFO events dates back to 2013/14. Money defrauded approx £1 million. Defendant was said to be the senior sales officer, with proceeds said to have been diverted to Dubai and to owners of other fraudulent companies dealing ostensibly in gold and diamonds. POCA proceedings followed the trial. Leading Jacob Bindman.
R v Pavlovskyte and five others
Multi-handed sham marriage immigration fraud with associated money laundering counts. Represented the female organiser charged with Conspiracy to evade immigration controls by arranging sham marriages between Lithuanian brides and Pakistani males.
R v De Silva, Southwark CC: Secured acquittal of CCO accused of multi-handed £11.5 million money laundering conspiracy.
R v Usuro, Guildford CC: advance fee fraud.
R v Paskaradas and others, CCC multi-handed money laundering, acquitted after lengthy abuse arguments re-trial preparation and police investigation failures.
R v Moses, Bristol Crown Court: Eight-handed conversion fraud, representing the main defendant.
R v Kiala, Southwark Crown Court: banking fraud
R v Maharaj, Southwark CC: Million-pound post office fraud
R v Robinson, Kingston CC: 14-handed banking fraud
R v Zaidi, Kingston CC: Five-handed fraud concerning medicines and trademarks
