Bill Wilson successfully concluded a lengthy Banking Sector investigation conducted by City of London Police (Major Crime Team) with no further action. The matter had been reported to Police in August 2017 by the internal investigation unit within Lloyds Banking Group and resulted in Bill’s client being arrested and interviewed in January 2018 at which point a Restraint Order was imposed. Although the Restraint Order initially appeared to be an obstacle, it proved to be ultimately very beneficial for the defence following challenge, producing substantial disclosure which otherwise would not have been forthcoming at that stage. This enabled very detailed lengthy representations to be made to Police which otherwise could not have been possible, dealing with each of the numerous issues under investigation. Undoubtedly it was this disclosure that assisted in the matter being concluded with no charges being preferred and without even having to be referred to the Crown Prosecution Service for advice.

Bill commented: "This was an extremely complex investigation dating back a number of years with a significant amount of papers. Undoubtedly Lloyds Banking Group misrepresented the true sequence of facts to Police when the matter was first reported, so the Police were under a false and misguided starting point.  As a consequence of challenging the Restraint Order we were able to uncover vital defence material which otherwise would never have been considered and unfortunately could have resulted in charges wrongly being preferred. This case proves that it is very possible to litigate pre-trial and hence avoid the unnecessary expense, stress and anxiety that a lengthy and complex trial may entail.

I was extremely fortunate in being able to instruct Leading Counsel, Mr Mark Rainsford QC, 33 Chancery Lane and it was with his assistance that the Restraint Order could be challenged, strategically being able to steer away from an unnecessary prosecution. 

One of the best recommendations I ever received came from the Investigating Officer who said, “If I ever find myself in trouble, I know precisely who to come to!”.

Client commented:  "Bill Wilson was recommended to me by a close friend in the legal profession. It was the best recommendation I could have asked for.   Bill is an exceptional criminal lawyer, who quickly was able to familiarise himself with what was a complex Banking sector case which included allegations of Money Laundering, Bribery & Corruption and Fraud. Bill is very methodical in the way that he broke down the case and tactically and strategically negated every point that was alleged. 

As a lawyer, Bill is both savvy and articulate and with his vast experience of these kinds of cases, considers every conceivable avenue to explore and leverage for the benefit of his clients.  He is relentless in his work and over the two years Bill represented me, he was always available to me in my many hours of need.  I owe Bill a huge debt of gratitude and we will remain lifelong friends of that I am sure."