Mark Sullivan

Call 1997
Email mark.sullivan@3pb.co.uk
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Crime

Mark Sullivan has practised in Crime throughout his career at the Bar. Previously he both prosecuted and defended in a wide range of cases but now specialises in defending in fraud,  serious drugs and road traffic cases, including confiscation and related proceedings.

Fraud

He represents both publicly and privately funded Defendants in all types of fraud, including VAT, Income Tax and benefit fraud. His background in accountancy and banking enables him to deal with the most complex cases.

Current and recent cases include:

• R v N and others – represented former solicitor charged with 2 other businessmen with an elaborate VAT fraud involving the purchase and sale of commercial property. Also represented the Defendant in associated criminal proceedings brought by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills;
• R v A – represented a Company Director charged with defrauding his company and fellow shareholders;
• R v C – represented Defendant prosecuted by Trading Standards for fraud in relation to a “rogue” car trading business;
• R v G – represented Defendant prosecuted by Trading Standards’ National Illegal Moneylending Team for operating an unlicensed lending business;
• R v W and others – represented one of 3 Defendants charged with fraudulent claims for Child Tax Credit involving a child-minding business;
• F v B & B – represented 2 prominent local businessmen in an attempted private prosecution for conspiracy to defraud brought by a disgruntled party to a building contract. Following a lengthy hearing, a District Judge  refused to issue a Summons. The proposed Prosecutor’s application to the Administrative Court was successfully opposed.

Previously he was instructed by HMRC, DBIS and other government departments to prosecute in a number of large complex cases, including several VAT carousel frauds. He has also appeared on behalf of HMRC in related proceedings in the First Tier Tribunal (Tax), (formerly VAT Tribunal).

Inevitably, the sort of cases he appears in involve, in many cases, complex confiscation proceedings. He has considerable experience of representing Defendants in such cases and in particular in dealing with allegations of benefit associated with a criminal lifestyle and hidden assets.

Drugs

Current and recent cases include:

• R v G and others – represented Defendant in case involving a large scale cocaine conspiracy in Southampton. Evidence included large quantities of covert surveillance material;
• R v H and others – represented Defendant in multi-handed drugs conspiracy. Much of the evidence comprised mobile telephone cell site analysis.

He has also defended in numerous cases involving supply and cultivation of drugs.
Road Traffic

He has represented Defendants in several cases involving causing death by dangerous or careless driving. He also represents commercial drivers and operators in the criminal courts and at Public Inquiries before the Traffic Commissioner.

In addition to his mainstream criminal practice he also appears in regulatory and quasi-criminal proceedings (see Public and Regulatory entry).

He is a member of the Western Circuit and the Criminal Bar Association.