JMW’s Business Crime & Regulatory team secured full acquittals for two clients following a complex Crown Court trial concerning allegations of fraudulent trading, public nuisance and related offences arising from a COVID-19 testing business.

The allegations

Our clients faced allegations arising from claims that the business had provided an unreliable COVID-19 testing service and false test results. Both denied the charges against them. The prosecution case involved extensive business records, correspondence, financial evidence and witness accounts.

A central issue was whether the prosecution could prove that our clients knew about the alleged wrongdoing. The defence challenged the suggestion that involvement in the business was sufficient to establish that knowledge.

How JMW helped

Mike Rainford (Partner) and Daniel McGlashan (Solicitor) in JMW’s Business Crime & Regulatory team were instructed to represent the clients.

The defence focused on records created at the time and the evidence concerning our clients’ involvement. This included examining correspondence, commercial arrangements and financial transactions, and challenging the conclusions the prosecution sought to draw from that material.

Working with King’s Counsel and other leading barristers, the defence highlighted gaps in the evidence of knowledge through cross-examination and detailed written submissions. It distinguished awareness of operational problems from knowing participation in criminal conduct. The approach kept the focus on what the prosecution could prove, rather than assumptions arising from our clients’ association with the business.

Full acquittals

Both clients were found not guilty of every charge they faced. The court was not satisfied that the evidence proved the knowledge required for conviction. Neither client received a conviction or sentence arising from the proceedings.