Simon practiced at the Bar of England and Wales for over 15 years before joining the Victorian Bar in September 2026. Over that time he worked primarily from Chambers in London, defending and prosecuting serious crime in the Crown Court, conducting appellate work in the Court of Appeal, and advising/representing government departments as part of the UK Attorney General’s panel of specialist counsel.
Between 2018 and 2023 he was an employed barrister and British Army officer, advising the chain of command on operations concerning matters of international law, and for two years appearing in the Courts Martial in the UK and overseas.
His practice in Victoria will mirror that in the UK, where he both prosecuted and defended a combination of serious violence, drugs, fraud, and sexual offending. He is a UK Grade 4 prosecutor (the highest non-silk grade) and a member of the specialist fraud panel – meaning he is comfortable with paper-heavy cases, complex expert evidence, and detailed accountancy issues. Defending, he enjoys the challenge of cross-examining expert witnesses and has been praised in this regard by the Court of Appeal.
Simon has established a reputation as an astute and tenacious advocate, and a robust and client-focused advisor. He is comfortable advancing complex legal arguments, and advising on cases whose subject matter spans a range of jurisdictions, tribunals, or areas of law. His cases have often involved sensitive material and required the provision of commercially aware, common sense advice.
He also sits (and continues to do so on trips back to the UK) as a Deputy District Judge and Recorder of the Crown Court.
Recent/significant cases have included:
- R v X, 2025 – Led junior prosecuting one of the most prolific sexual offenders in recent history. Framed an indictment representing hundreds of offences against at least thirteen victims. The defendant received a life sentence with a minimum term of 14 years. Widespread press coverage.
- R v J, 2017 – Murder, led junior defending. The case involved a violent death inflicted on an elderly man with a golf club, following which a fire was set. The evidence involved eyewitnesses (including the defendant’s own father), blood spatter analysis, autopsy reports, and expert opinion on shoeprints.
- R v C, 2025 – Secured a Community Order for defendant charged with being part of a conspiracy to ‘ram raid’ ATMs on motorway service stations, stealing the cash. Argued that the time spent on remand, and the defendant’s self-motivated rehabilitation in prison, made a further prison sentence (suspended or immediate) wrong in principle.
- R v K, 2024 – Prosecuted million-pound gold bullion fraud and money laundering case. Convictions resulted on four out of five counts, one of which was the subject of an application to dismiss at an early stage.
- R v H, 2024 – Successful submission of no case to answer after five days on behalf of the second defendant in a case involving serious allegations of sexual offending against children.
- R v W, 2018 – Acted on a private basis for an individual and business being prosecuted alongside others for breach of a planning enforcement notice. The criminal proceedings had been preceded by years of civil litigation between the parties. Following two days of legal argument in the Crown Court the case was stopped as an abuse of process.
