John Boumphrey

John Boumphrey
Year of call:

1992

Education:

BA Hons (Phil Lit) Dip law.

Appointments:

2009 - Present - Craven District Council Independent Person

2009-2010 - West Yorks Criminal Justice Board, Equality and Diversity Committee Member

2012 - Present - British Fencing Disciplinary and Grievance Tribunal Chair

2016 - Present - Craven District Council Remuneration Committee

2016 – 2020 - Head of Chancery Commercial and Property Group, Zenith Chambers

2021 - Mediator with the Society of Mediators

Memberships:

Personal Injury Bar Assocation

Admin Law Bar Association

Criminal Bar Association

John has acted in significant cases involving; Intellectual Property, Animal Cruelty Fraud, Export of Chemical Weapons, Environment Damage to areas of Special Scientific Interest, Asbestos, and Shipping. He has represented a person described by the press as the “largest bootlegger in the world”

John’s expertise in Copyright and Trademark Law and understanding of European Law took him to the House of Lords in the leading case of R v Johnstone. John’s has broad and useful experience outside the bar he has been employed in banking the civil service, and public relations. He has a good understanding of local and parliamentary government.

John sits on the Standards Committee at Craven District Council and is a Statutory Independent Person for the authority under the Localism Act. He also sat on the West Yorkshire Criminal Justice Board Equality and Diversity Committee, he chairs a remuneration committee for a local authority.

John is Chair of Discipline and Grievance for British Fencing and is responsible for maintaining a panel of adjudicators for disciplinary hearings. This experience gives him a good understanding of disciplinary proceedings. He advised in the preparation for the Tour de France, the start of which was held in Yorkshire in 2014 and continues to advise in relation to other significant cycling events.

John has represented police officers, lawyers and politicians in criminal and civil actions and serving police officers facing disciplinary proceedings. For 4 Years, John was Counsel for the Metropolitan Police and he has acted for the Police Federation and its insurers. John was designated Counsel for UNIFED, a short-lived rival to the Police Federation. John also has extensive experience of actions against the police.

John has advised on aspects of European law and lectured Montenegrin Judges and prosecuting authorities on money laundering as part of their application to join the EU

John accepts instructions for inquests. He was Counsel for the estate of the crane driver in the Canada Square crane disaster. John also acted for the parents of Laura Garner in a case which led to changes in the way urgent patients are assessed following admissions to hospital.

Representing doctors, teachers, police officers, nurses, pharmacists, footballers and fencers in front of disciplinary panels.

Areas of Expertise

  • Criminal cases involving civil claims
  • Intellectual property crime
  • Copyright
  • Trade mark
  • Police discipline
  • Inquests
  • Importation of licensed medical goods
  • Trading Standards offences
  • Animal welfare offences
  • Cruelty
  • Unnecessary suffering
  • Horse passport infractions
  • Export of materials in manufacture of chemical weapons
  • Sports Discipline
  • Government
  • Local
  • Parliamentary
  • Misconduct in public office

Reported Cases

  • R v David Lindley (2016) [2016] EWCA Crim 1980
  • Yvonne James v RSPCA (2011)  [2011] EWHC 1642 (Admin) . (2011) 175 JP 485 : [2012] 5 Costs LO 547. Notices to be given by veterinary surgeons before investigating animals or taking them into police care and orders in relation to the expense of keeping defendant’s animals.
  • R v Johnstone (Robert Alexander) 2003 UKHL 28 (2003) 1 WLR 1736 

Notable Cases

  • R v Gomez and Tinling – Defence leading counsel in prison Attempted Murder involving prisoners in a High Security Unit
  • R v Khan R v Uddin – Defence counsel in multi handed fraud cases involving gangs posing as bank officials in order to target elderly victims into handing over their life savings.
  • R v O – Represented Defendant charged with copyright infringement of music.
  • R v Lindley – Defence counsel in S18 matter with case referred to Attorney General due to leniency of sentence.
  • R v A – Export of material capable of being used in the manufacture of chemical weapons to a non-convention country. Involved questions relating to the exercise of the discretion to prosecute against individuals instead of a company.
  • R v Reilly – Importation of Viagra without medicines licenses.

Seminars

  • Prosecution of Hate Crime
  • Confiscation
  • Assorted update lectures for local authorities

Personal Information

John enjoys spending time with his family (and grudgingly with his dog). He has participated in various sports to high level. He is a former National Junior Epee Champion and won Bronze at the Commonwealth Fencing Championships in 1990. He enjoys Skiing and Mountaineering.

Public Access

John Boumphrey may accept Public Access work, where he can be instructed directly by a member of the public rather than a solicitor.

Contact John’s clerks

Madeleine Gray on 0113 202 8603

Patrick Urbina on 0113 213 5250

Imogen Brown on 0113 2135225