Introduction
Henry is an experienced barrister with expertise in confiscation and asset recovery, regulatory matters, local authority work, licensing and financial crime.
He has significant experience in high-value (£multi-million) cases involving intricate points of law and international elements – often including matters of sensitivity.
He is the joint editor of Millington and Sutherland Williams on the Proceeds of Crime – the leading text on confiscation – and he authors the chapters on enforcement and preliminary matters.
As well as being a successful defence counsel, Henry is on the list of specialist regulatory advocates (level B), and he is also a top-level grade 4 prosecutor in proceeds of crime / confiscation. In addition, he is a member of the SFO’s proceeds of crime and international assistance panel.
He regularly appears both solely and led in high-value cases and he has acted in cases involving foreign governments and international prosecuting authorities – often with sensitive case features and against King’s Counsel.
He undertakes a significant amount of work in the First-Tier Tribunal (in a variety of Chambers), the Upper Tribunal and on judicial review matters.
Henry also accepts taxation work (both direct and indirect), and quasi-criminal and private prosecution work both litigated and by providing focused advice on strategic and evidential issues.
Regulatory
Henry accepts Local Authority work: both prosecuting and defending, albeit mainly the latter.
This includes a wide variety of areas such as: Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 work, Trade Marks Act 1994 matters, social security (First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support Chamber) work), environmental matters, scrap metal, food hygiene, mobile homes / caravans, care homes and also judicial review matters.
His Licensing expertise is mainly taxi metters but also encompasses alcohol and entertainment licences (including appeals).
Private prosecutions: acting on behalf of OFCOM, the Insolvency Service and Flintshire County Council to advise on and then conduct cases. Defending proceedings brought by local authorities (see above), the Environment Agency and the Premier League.
Sports law: advising and acting for sports professionals including appeals against cricket match results, the British Boxing Board of Control disciplinary proceedings and contractual disputes.
Taxation: First-Tier Tribunal (Tax Chamber) matters including VAT (over £5 million owed by a taxi firm), duties on goods, and condemnation of goods.
Confiscation / POCA 2002 matters
As well as private work (including for third parties) Henry is instructed by the SFO and the CPS in difficult or high-value and multi-handed Crown Court confiscation matters and also in the following:
He advised on restraint and confiscation for the whole of Operation Venetic (all of the Encrochat cases).
International assistance / letters of request: very high value and politically sensitive letters of request to secure assets within the jurisdiction. For example, assets linked to the Brazilian Odebrecht corruption scandal and the former Brazilian president’s family, a £22 million London flat linked to a £52 million alleged Indian loan fraud, assets linked to the Indian Yes Bank-DHFL alleged fraud (over £45 million), assets sought by the FBI.
Restraint orders: advising upon and drafting complex and very high value restraint orders dealing with issues such as offshore trusts, companies / corporate veil issues, probate, real property. Also dealing with applications to vary / discharge – almost always against KCs.
High Court proceedings: this includes civil recovery / Part 5 proceedings and CJA 1988 and DTA 1994 matters.
Crime
Henry mainly deals with financial crime matters: leading counsel (having taken over from a silk) prosecuting an 11-handed tax fraud and money laundering worth £7.2 million, split into 3 trials (Operation Bidder), junior in a massive scale excise duty evasion (over £66.3 million in one of the several linked operations alone), junior in a £multi-million international clothing fraud and money laundering (Operation Acridian).
He has experience dealing in matters of sensitivity both in terms of profile and security: such as police corruption, CHIS, PII, and QE (now KE) witnesses.
Other Experience
- Judicial review matters
- Other private prosecutions for individuals and companies (including for an insurance company)
- Contempt of court (both breach of Crown Court and High Court orders)
- Multi-track civil matters
- Real property matters including boundary disputes
- Probate matters including in the context of confiscation / asset recovery
- Employment law matters
Publications & Research
- Millington and Sutherland Williams on the Proceeds of Crime 6th edition (joint editor), the 7th edition is due for publication in 2026/2027
- Banks on Sentence 10th edition (assistant editor)
- (Numerous) case notes for Lloyd’s Law Reports: Financial Crime
- H M Skudra, ‘R v Yasain – delineating the re-opening of appeals’ [2015] 9 Archbold Review 4
- H M Skudra, ‘Drug-Driving: Bringing the Law up to Speed’ (2015) 179 Criminal Law & Justice Weekly 27
- Henry Skudra, ‘Contempt of court – criminal court reporting’ [2014] 4 Archbold Review 4
- H M Skudra, ‘Fraudulent Trading As A Creditor’s Remedy – Time For A Rethink?’ (2013) 94 Amicus Curiae: the journal of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies 11
- Frequently lecturing / presenting to the CPS Proceeds of Crime Unit, the SFO, and also MBL Seminars
- Previously presenting seminars to the Midlands Fraud Forum, City of London Police, and the Network of Independent Forensic Accountants
Education
University of Durham, St Aidan’s College [2007 – 2010]
LL B (Hons) (Dunelm) – Law degree (Upper Second Class [2:1])
University of Durham, University College [2011 – 2012]
M Jur (Dunelm) – Master of Jurisprudence postgraduate law degree (by thesis and therefore not graded, but examiners commented, “The thesis should be seen as a valuable landmark in the discussion of this field”).
The 50,000 word thesis examined fraudulent trading incorporating both a jurisprudential and a practice-based analysis which also examined asset recovery.
College of Law, Birmingham [2012]
Bar Professional Training Course – Very Competent
Panels
Specialist regulatory advocates list (level B)
Serious Fraud Office proceeds of crime and international assistance panel (level B)
CPS panels: proceeds of crime (grade 4) and fraud, terrorism and serious crime (grade 3)
Scholarships & Awards
- 2017: Kalisher Trust, Internship at the City of London Police – Economic Crime Directorate
- 2011: The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, Major Scholarship
- 2007: Warwick School, Pyne Scholarship
Other Information
- Visiting lecturer at the University of Law
- 6-month internship in 2018 with the City of London Police, Economic Crime Directorate
- Experience of cases of high-value and complex fraud (of many different types), money laundering and bribery. First-hand insight into the investigation of such offences. Advising on large-scale e-disclosure, investigative strategy, restraint order applications and special procedure search warrants.
- Volunteer with the Young Citizens charity (mock trial competitions)
- Member of the Proceeds of Crime Lawyers Association (POCLA)
- Member of the Health & Safety Lawyers’ Association (HSLA)
- Member of the Birmingham Law Society
- Former member of the Institute of Licensing
- Member of the Selden Society
