Introduction
Ben Close has been a specialist criminal practitioner since he was called to the Bar in 2009. His practice also encompasses regulatory work.
Ben is instructed by various prosecuting authorities and the defence in the most serious and complex cases, frequently leading junior counsel. His recent and ongoing cases include murder, high-value fraud/money laundering and very large and complex drug conspiracies/importations.
As well as appearing regularly in the Crown Court, he has also appeared successfully numerous times in the Court of Appeal including in reported cases, where he has been complimented for his thorough approach. He has appeared in the Court of Appeal and in Crown Court cases in place of KCs.
Ben has prosecuted several legal ‘firsts’, including the only prosecution for making disguised political donations; the UK’s first ‘swatting’ case; and a case involving the torture of monkeys. He prosecuted what was thought at the time to be the largest cannabis production case, and a case of causing a death by dangerous driving case in which the sentence was thought to be the longest yet imposed for that offence.
Ben is ranked in the Legal 500 as a Tier 1 Leading Junior for both General Crime and Business and Regulatory Crime he is ranked in Chambers & Partners.
He is a Grade 4 prosecutor (the highest grade). He is on the specialist Grade 4 lists for Serious Crime, Fraud, and Proceeds of Crime and he is on the Grade 3 Counter-Terrorism panel. He has been appointed to the CPS specialist rape panel. Ben is on the Serious Fraud Office’s Panel A for confiscation and Panel B for fraud, and he has been appointed to the ‘B’ list of Specialist Regulatory Advocates.
Ben has earned a reputation for a hard-working and thorough approach, but without losing sight of the importance of being personable and persuasive. He is equally at home addressing juries or judges.
He is a Midland Circuit advocacy tutor and a tutor for Lincoln’s Inn. He is a recent pupil supervisor and sits on St Philips’ pupillage committee (he was previously elected to the Bar Council where he sat on the Education and Training Committee).
Organised Crime and Terrorism
As a Grade 4 Serious Crime panel advocate since Ben was only 9 years’ call (2018), Ben now leads junior counsel cases in the most complex and serious cases.
His recent and ongoing cases include:
- Operation Prevail (ongoing) – Ben leads a junior (having taken over from a KC) in the prosecution of 17 defendants, for the operation of a county-line. Case involves modern slavery issues.
- Operation Spinax (ongoing) – The investigation encompasses 6 cases across 4 crown courts. In just one of those cases, Ben led a junior in the successful prosecution of a defendant in relation to the seizure of more than 100kg of cocaine. Prison sentences in the region of 50 years’ have been imposed to date.
- Operation Paperspin (ongoing) – Leading a junior, Ben is prosecuting 8 defendants (in 3 separate cases) for a case involving the nationwide distribution of hundreds of kilos of cocaine. The case encompasses the recovery of various other drugs and a loaded firearm. One defendant was convicted following a lengthy trial in which he unsuccessfully sought to blame his brother for his drug dealing.
- Operation Talemongering (2024) – Junior counsel in the successful prosecution of a man for possessing explosive substances, a firearm and possession and distribution of terrorist material.
- Operation Redcrab (2023) – Ben led a junior in the successful prosecution of 5 defendants for carrying out the audacious armed robbery of a jewellers. The case became well-known because of footage posted on social media depicting the ram-raid and closing down of a busy road in Birmingham. The case became the subject of BBC’s ‘Gold Heist’. All defendants were convicted following a trial lasting several weeks.
- Operation Vision (2022) – Again, leading a junior, Ben successfully prosecuted the trial of several defendants for operating a drugs line from prison. He then successfully prosecuted the trial of one of those defendants for his part in a shooting with a sawn-off shotgun. The case encompassed complex issues of anonymous hearsay, and the extent to which CCTV footage could be interpreted by firearms experts. The cases resulted in the imposition of sentences well in excess of 50 years’ custody.
Ben has several other ongoing cases including leading the prosecution of a case involving a conspiracy to supply handguns. Another conspiracy (Operation Goliath) concerning the importation of cocaine from Albania, in which more than 400kg of cocaine has been seized (including a single seizure of 227kg). In another case, Ben leads a junior in the prosecution of several defendants for setting a trap for the victims before causing them serious injuries with weapons and kidnapping one victim in the boot of a car and subjecting him to further offences.
Homicide (Murder and Manslaughter)
Ben has prosecuted and defended in several murder cases when led by a KC, and prosecuted and defended attempted murder and cases involving deaths.
His recent and ongoing cases include:
Murder/attempted murder:
- Operation Handle (2024) – Led by Kevin Hegarty KC in the successful prosecution of 2 men for conspiracy to murder, after hiring an American hitwoman to carry out a killing. CCTV footage showed the would-be killer waiting for a member of the victim’s family to arrive home, and then attempting to discharge a gun towards the head of their victim at close range. The gun jammed, and a few hours later she returned to the now vacant family home and discharged 3 shots through the windows. The case received nationwide attention after a national newspaper led efforts to track down the female assassin.
- R v SM (2022) – Led by Jason Bartfeld KC in the successful defence of a young defendant who faced murder. At trial in Birmingham, Mr Justice Choudhury allowed a submission of no case to answer in respect of their client. The prosecution unsuccessfully sought to appeal that ruling (expedited), leading to their client’s acquittal. Another man on trial was convicted of murder.
- R v NN (2022) – Successfully prosecuted the trial of a man for attempted murder. The man leapt through his former partner’s window with a knife, stabbing a man inside who narrowly escaped death.
- Operation Alborz (2020) – Led by Michael Burrows KC in the successful prosecution of 2 men for murder for the shooting of 20 year old James Teer.
Manslaughter/homicide:
- Operation Thesis (2024) – Ben was led by Michael Burrows KC in the prosecution of 2 companies and its director and a site manager following the death of an employee after a wall fell on him during the demolition of a building in the Jewellery Quarter.
- R v MT (2023) – Ben prosecuted a man for death by dangerous driving, causing serious injury by dangerous driving, and associated offences. The case displayed a multitude of aggravating features, resulting in an extremely lengthy sentence.
Ben’s previous cases have included the prosecution of a man who following an armed robbery, drove the getaway car in a dangerous manner killing one accomplice and badly injuring the other accomplice. He also defended in cases of attempted murder, successfully negotiating pleas to lesser offences.
Fraud, Business and Financial Crime
Ben is ranked in the Legal 500 as a Leading Junior Tier 1 for Business and Regulatory Crime.
Ben’s long-standing interest in financial crime, including confiscation proceedings is also reflected in his appointment as a specialist advocate at the highest level on both the CPS Fraud and Proceeds of Crime panels, and the SFO’s Fraud and Confiscation panels. See also, the list of reported cases and publications at the end of this section which all concern confiscation proceedings.
Fraud:
- R v AB (2024) – Led by Richard Atkins KC in the defence of a man accused of operating a ‘Ponzi’ scheme over many years, defrauding millions of pounds from many investors, whilst purporting to be trading profitably on futures.
- Operation Banstead (2024) – Successfully led a junior in the 5 month prosecution of 2 brothers who were each found guilty of conspiring to make fraudulent claims for Film Tax Relief and VAT. The defendants represented themselves and told the jury they were successful film producers who had made films available on platforms such as Amazon and in national supermarkets. One defendant was sentenced in his absence after leaving the country after cross-examination commenced.
Ben’s ongoing defence cases encompass cases of money laundering including a case involving the transfer of significant sums of money to Dubai, and a case in which he represents the first defendant said to be at the centre of a large money laundering operation involving crypto-currency.
Ben is the first prosecution junior in the ongoing case of Operation Tuckhill. The first tranche of the case concerned the making of disguised political donations, which remains the only case of its kind. The case involves millions of pounds lent to Northampton Town Football Club by the Local Authority. The case has been the subject of ongoing media attention, with the BBC referring to the story as Northampton’s missing millions.
Ben has developed expertise in ‘smishing’ and ‘phishing’ frauds, involving the harvesting of victims’ details. He has prosecuted several such cases and has ongoing matters involving the sale of fake websites for use by fraudsters.
Confiscation:
Ben was involved in numerous complex confiscation proceedings involving the determination of third-party interests (‘s10A’) soon after the introduction of that legislation. Examples of confiscation proceedings he has conducted include a conspiracy involving drug importations valued at £1billion (without a leader), and a case where more than £2m was confiscated as a result of drugs offences (benefit figures were between £16 and £17million). He is also experienced in dealing with cases involving companies and the complications that can arise including piercing the corporate veil. He has prosecuted specialist KCs in the area, and appeared in the place of KCs.
His experience also extends to all aspects of proceedings within the confiscation regime, for example, the imposition, discharge and variation of restraint orders; applications to appoint receivers; enforcement hearings (encompassing legal argument in civil jurisdictions concerning property rights); contempt proceedings.
Reported cases:
- R v Arun Bajaj [2020] EWCA Crim 1111 (led by Richard Atkins KC);
- R v Muddassar [2017] EWCA Crim 382;
- R v Malhi (Hardip Singh) [2016] EWCA Crim 2025
- R v Mohammed Suleman Khan [2016] EWCA Crim 2287 (appeared in place of Andrew Smith KC).
Publications:
- ‘The Approach to increasing the Available Amount under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002’, published in The Criminal Law Review, Issue 9, 2020.
- Case comment on R (on the application of Kombou) v Wood Green Crown Court [2020] EWHC 152, published in The Criminal Law Review, Issue 10, 2020.
- Case comment on R. v Bajaj (Arun) [2020] EWCA Crim 1111, published in The Criminal Law Review, Issue 1, 2021.
Serious Sexual Offences
Ben has prosecuted and defended in the most serious cases involving sexual allegations.
Ben’s ongoing cases include:
- R v AR (ongoing) – Leading a junior in the prosecution of a man for the serious sexual abuse of 8 family members over several decades.
Ben has prosecuted and represented numerous defendants in cases involving a broad range of sexual offences including successfully acting in rape cases and cases involving historic allegations.
Ben obtained the acquittal of a teacher accused of sexually assaulting a student, and a nurse accused of assaulting a patient.
Ben was the junior for the defence in a case where the defendant was charged with sexual offences against 13 victims, male and female and adults and children, over three decades, a case with complex issues around disclosure and bad character (mixed verdicts following a lengthy trial).
He has successfully prosecuted cases of rape and other serious sexual offences. That experience encompasses DNA evidence and the use of various special measures.
He has undertaken specialist courses in the handling of vulnerable witnesses and other courses required of a specialist prosecution advocate in this field.
Regulatory
Ben’s experience in regulatory crime has mostly focused on serious Health and Safety cases (including manslaughter), Trading Standards/Consumer Protection, and Environmental cases. He is keen to develop other areas of expertise in regulatory fields, having had experience representing parties at inquests, and having acted in confiscation and trading standards cases with a licensing dimension. He also has experience of illegal money-lending cases (again complementing his experience in financial crime).
Health & Safety, Corporate and Gross Negligence Manslaughter
Ben has a busy practice dealing with serious health and safety cases, including cases of manslaughter. He is a member of HS’s panel of specialist advocates. Recent and notable cases include:
- Operation Thesis (2024) – Led by Michael Burrows KC in the prosecution of 2 companies and its director and a site manger following the death of an employee after a wall fell on him during the demolition of a building in the Jewellery Quarter.
- R v Stark Building Materials UK Ltd. (Jewsons) (2024) – Successfully prosecuted a company with a turnover of circa £2.5bn after a forklift truck collided with a customer.
- R v Riaar Plastics Ltd. (2023) – Successful prosecution of a company concerning a Legionella outbreak.
- R v Oakland International Ltd. (2021) – Prosecuted a company represented by a KC in relation to an accident where an employee received near-fatal and life changing injuries when he was crushed whilst carrying industrial equipment. The company received a substantial fine.
Current instructions include advising a local authority in relation to the death of an employee from a food allergy.
Ben has acted as an instructor on HSE courses.
Trading Standards, Consumer Protection and Food Safety
Ben has a wide range of experience dealing with Trading Standards and Consumer Protection cases. Recent examples include:
- R v RA (ongoing) – Ben is advising on a prosecution concerning the illegal sale of tobacco products across a large number of premises nationwide.
- R v DF (ongoing) – Currently prosecuting a case of fraudulent trading involving more than 30 alleged victims, said to have been defrauded out of hundreds of thousands of pounds by a builder.
- R v BY and LF (2024) – Successfully prosecuted 2 men for selling IPTV services without a licence and associated money laundering offences. The losses amounted to over £10m, and they could be shown to have received more than £400,000.
- R v TB (2023) – Obtained a suspended sentence for a defendant who illegally lent more than £350,000 to scores of clients.
Environmental
Having been appointed to the ‘B’ list of Specialist Regulatory Advocates, Ben has recent experience conducting crown court cases on behalf of the Environment Agency. Recent examples include:
- R v SP, SP and TR (ongoing) – Currently prosecuting 3 defendants for operating unauthorised waste facilities at numerous sites over several years.
- R v G R Shorthouse Ltd (2023) – Successfully prosecuted a company and its director for operating an unauthorised waste facility. The case entailed various arguments concerning disclosure which were all successfully resisted.
Generally, Ben has successfully acted in a number of trials involving the illegal depositing of waste, including the prosecution of companies. Those cases include successfully prosecuting a crown court trial in a case involving multiple tons of waste deposited at Sarehole Mill Park at a time when travellers were illegally encamped at the site.
He has a wealth of experience dealing with ancillary orders flowing from such convictions, for example, the disqualification of directors and confiscation orders (see ‘Fraud, Business and Financial Crime’).
Testimonials
“Ben is super-bright and very well respected by judges, and he is knowledgeable and effective on the law.” Chambers & Partners 2025
“Ben is incredibly able, articulate and fierce. He is a very polished and polite advocate.” Chambers and Partners 2025
“Ben is really hot on the facts and is helpful and incisive on the law.” Chambers and Partners 2025
“He is a very polished and polite advocate.” Chambers & Partners 2025
“Ben has a sound, analytical approach to work. His strength is in analysing a complex case and getting on top of the details; he is a junior for particularly difficult and demanding cases. His advocacy is also sound. Ben is a silk of the future.’ Legal 500 2025
‘Ben is a good junior: bright and tenacious.’ Legal 500 2025
“He’s the complete package – bright, hard-working and a good tactician.” Chambers & Partners 2024
“Ben is hard-working, bright and industrious. He is always amiable despite sometimes very stressful situations. He is always on top of the case to the smallest detail. He is sharp and decisive.” Legal 500 2024
“Ben gets to grip with the details of a case quickly. He has excellent drafting skills and delivers a great service every time.” Legal 500 2023
