Bhavin Patel (1991)
Principal Areas of Practice
Crime
Professional Experience
Bhavin started out in his career doing a variety of common law work ranging from insolvency, contractual disputes, landlord and tenant and family law work (mainly contact and residence applications) but now specialises in criminal law. Over the past six years his practice has covered all types of crime at magistrates and at crown court level. He is largely a defence advocate but has had substantial experience of prosecution work at magistrates courts. He has also prosecuted for the Probation Service at crown and magistrates courts.
His recent notable crown court work has included a cultivation of cannabis trial (large scale production at a cannabis factory) and a proceeds of crime act confiscation hearing which followed upon a multi handed cocaine smuggling trial (successfully negotiating with the prosecution, after drafting the defendant's section 18 statement, that the particular defendant he was representing had not in fact benefited and accordingly no confiscation order should be made against him). He also dealt with the reported case of Pearson v London Borough of Greenwich (2008) EWHC 300 from the trial at the magistrates court through to the hearing of the case stated at the High Court, advising upon appeal after trial and assisting instructing solicitors in the preparation and drafting of all applications. The case had also included a joint judicial review application which was withdrawn following the success of the case stated.
His work at magistrates court level has included a number of cases involving allegations of either assault on police officers acting in the execution of their duty or public order offences wherein he has successfully argued that the police officers' actions were not in the execution of their duty or that the alleged offending actions were in self defence. He has in various cases involving allegations of indecent assault or sexual touching successfully argued a lack of the required intention. He recently completed a case involving an allegation of indecent exposure wherein he had put forward an insanity defence (acting under a certificate for counsel). He won the case though the court ultimately did not need to rule on the insanity point. He has successfully argued mistaken identity in an ABH trial (where the complainant had picked out the defendant in an identity parade and where presence was accepted but participation denied) and in a youth court robbery case. In a fairly recent case involving an allegation of handling stolen goods where the defendant was caught removing the wheels from a stolen BMW car, he successfully, albeit somewhat cheekily, argued that the defendant was either innocent or a thief but not a handler. All in all he has had a fair share of successful outcomes often in difficult or tricky cases.
Bhavin also provides a free legal advice service at a community centre every Friday evening seeing on average six to ten clients in a three to four hour session. The advice and assistance he provides includes correspondence, drafting court documents and comprehensive advice to litigants in person on conduct of their cases. His efforts have resulted in the resolution of numerous client disputes and claims.
