Laura Hobson

Practice details

Crime

Instructed by both defence and prosecution.  Authorised to prosecute for the SFO (Panel B), and has been instructed to prosecute on behalf of the Department of Work and Pensions, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, and other government agencies, and to provide independent  advice to HMRC on matters of disclosure.   Defence work has included complex drug and money laundering cases, as well as cases involving sexual offences or serious violence.   Substantial experience of confiscation proceedings, and road traffic law, from both a prosecution and defence perspective.   

Recent cases have included :

• Prosecution junior in the successful prosecution of two dentists for conspiracy to defraud
• Prosecution junior in a multi-handed case involving trafficking and controlling prostitutes for gain
• Represented a young defendant charged with the knife-point robbery of a takeaway delivery driver
• Represented a man charged with S18 grievous bodily harm with intent, following a severe beating of the complainant in his own home
• Prosecution of a cigarette-smuggling operation in which over £500,000 of excise duty was evaded
• Represented a 12 year old defendant who had admitted a serious sexual offence
• Defence junior for a defendant charged with money laundering and fraud, including sole conduct of the confiscation proceedings
• The appeal against sentence of a defendant sentenced for offences of burglary, in which the Court of Appeal substantially reduced the sentence

Licensing

Appears before local councils in licensing matters around the country, acting on behalf of licensed premises in applications under the Licensing Act 2003. Experienced in dealing with a range of licensing applications and hearings.

Common Law

• has conducted a variety of civil matters in the County Court and High Court including appeals and committal proceedings, and regularly receives instructions in personal injury matters
• has appeared at a number of Coroner’s inquests representing clients who have been involved in road traffic accidents where there has been a fatality