Matthew Kerruish-Jones

Crime

Matthew regularly advises and defends individuals prosecuted for causing death whilst driving. He has unique experience in this area as he is able to straddle both the criminal and civil court jurisdictions and understands the tactical issues faced by lay clients and their insurers when facing linked criminal and civil prosecutions.

In addition, Matthew has significant prosecution experience over the years, having been a Category 3 prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service as well as working for the Serious Fraud Office as Disclosure Counsel. Matthew has been led in multiple cases by Queen’s Counsel. In addition, Matthew is very experienced in representing clients prosecuted by QC’s as well as co-defending with them.

Notable criminal cases:

R v D Death by careless driving: Tesla v pedestrian

R v Harris Represented an elderly man who was not fit to stand trial due to dementia. The case involved “pedal confusion” whereby it was alleged the defendant drove at speed into a shop killing an occupant.

R v Parsons Successfully defended an ambulance driver who, whilst responding to an emergency, collided with a pedestrian killing him.

R v Howard Successfully defended a mother with her two children who drove into a fatal collision with a motorcyclist riding up a bus lane.

R v Colledge The Defendant suffered with a black out at the wheel due to a neurological condition and caused a fatal collision with an oncoming vehicle. Insane automatism was successfully argued.

R v Mitzman Successfully defended a motorist charged with causing death by careless driving who came into collision with two pedestrians crossing a road.

R v Smart Matthew represented a defendant charged with causing serious injury by dangerous driving at first instance. He advised on the appeal against sentence which was successfully reduced by the Court of Appeal (represented by Douglas Day QC).

R v Calnan Successfully defended a motorist charged with causing death by careless driving who came into collision with an oncoming motorcyclist.

Appeal of M (CA) Disclosure and PII; reference by Criminal Case Review Commission; rape

R v S Causing death by careless driving; speeding motorcyclist killed

R v S Serious injury by dangerous driving; collision with pedestrian on zebra crossing

R v Grant Dangerous driving; collision with police motorcyclist

R v Tottman & Others Multi handed conspiracy to steal metal from railways

R v Knight Causing death by careless driving; distracted by wasp inside car; phobias

R v Clarke Causing death by dangerous driving; hypoglycaemic attack whilst driving

R v Cleal Causing death by careless driving; death of motorcyclist; under the influence of alcohol; sleeping at the wheel

Notable cases involving fraud include:

Re: INL01 Instructed by SFO; fraudulent trading; legal expenses insurer fraud circa £75 million; led by Douglas Day QC.

R v Prince “confidence fraud” against lottery millionaire depriving victim of approximately £700,000; confiscation hearing

R v Adamson Insolvency Act offences; money laundering; fraudulent trading; “jet set” lifestyle; appeal to CA; confiscation hearing

R v Young & Ors Conspiracy to defraud GMP; civilian counter clerk accepting invalid documents