Philip Rooke

Philip is based at the firm’s City of London office. He is a member of the Complex Crime Department specialising in such cases as fraud, regulatory work and serious crime against the person including sexual offences.

He represents individuals and companies being pursued by a wide range of prosecuting authorities including the Serious Fraud Office (“SFO,”) Department for Business Innovation and Skills (“BIS,”) Local Authorities (“LA,”) Environment Agency (“EA,”) Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (“HMRC,”) Crown Prosecution Service (“CPS”) and Trading Standards. He is experienced in representing companies and their officers who are the subject of proceedings. Philip also works in our Civil Litigation/Actions Department and is regularly instructed to assist client’s pursuing civil actions against the police, as well as general civil litigation matters. In addition, he regularly deals with substantial confiscations matters where the benefit figures are substantial.

He responsible for managing a high profile case profile case load, many of which are reported on within the national press. A high number of his client’s instructed the firm privately.

Philip completed his training at this firm having joined from the Serious Fraud Office where he gained valued experience whilst working there. He has recently completed the Criminal Litigation Accreditation Scheme, and is a Duty Solicitor, regularly attending interviews under caution and appearing in the magistrates court.

Examples of complex criminal cases handled by Philip include

• Acted on behalf of Defendant, who was the Director of an asset finance company where it was alleged that two international banking institutions were defrauded out of in excess of £100 million pounds.
• Acted on behalf of a Director involved in a multi-handed conspiracy to defraud and money laundering charges whereby his company and another were alleged to have fraudulently sold carbon credits causing investors to sustain multi-million pound losses over a number of years behind the façade of a respectable company. The Defendant represented by Noble Solicitors was acquitted. This case as well as the preceding High Court insolvency case heard in the High Court was widely reported within the national press.
• Represented a Defendant in a multi-handed conspiracy to reduce the tax liability of several companies by evading tax and paying employees’ and directors’ salaries through the back door by issuing dummy invoices through a third company.
• Acted on behalf of a Director alleged to have been part of a boiler room fraud, involving a multi-handed conspiracy to defraud investors by selling Rare Earth Metal (“REMs”), a scam that was widely publicised within the national press. The companies involved were registered in the Seychelles and Switzerland. During the trial, evidence was given by alternative investment experts on both sides of the Atlantic.

Regulatory cases that he has dealt with include the following

• Representation of a lettings agent employee during the course of a Trading Standards investigation, the value of the fraud being hundreds of thousands of pounds;
• Representation of waste management company being pursued by the EA for breach of a High Court injunction;
• Acting on behalf of an individual being prosecuted for offences under the Insolvency Act 1986 by BIS.
• Acted on behalf of a Sikh temple served with health & safety prohibition notice.

Examples Civil Actions matters dealt with by Philip include the following

• Acting on behalf of serving police officer, in a claim for judicial review in respect of a complaint against his own police force;
• Representing a company director following investigations by the Police surrounding company employees and seizure of company property;
• Acting on behalf Claimants pursuing claim in the Court for wrongful arrest and false detention;
• Assisting client’s in respect of applications for detention/forfeiture of cash under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

Examples of various Civil Litigation matters dealt with by Philip include the following

• Acting on behalf of an individuals pursuing claims for defamation against the press and public bodies;
• Advising individuals in respect of potential actions for civil fraud;
• Advising clients in respect of various other civil claims including breach of contract.