MICHAEL HAYTON

Call 1993     Lincoln’s Inn

Crime


Business crime and regulatory


MA (Oxon)

hayton@deanscourt.co.uk

‘An impressive advocate. He fights till the fat lady sings’
– Legal 500, 2005
‘A robust court performer’
– Legal 500, 2006
‘An excellent client manner...Hard working and efficient’
– Chambers UK, 2008
‘He gets results’
– Legal 500, 2008
‘Man for the big occasion.’
– Chambers UK, 2009
'Very effective advocate who makes the most of what he has to work with.'
- Legal 500, 2009
"clear-thinking and articulate advocate", and is acclaimed for his defence work'
- Chambers UK 2010
'very effective advocate who makes the most of what he has to work with'
- Legal 500, 2010

Individual

Education

Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Blackburn and St. Anne’s College, Oxford (MA Jurisprudence)

Areas of Practice

Crime

Michael Hayton, having initially practised in all areas of common law, since 1997 has concentrated upon Crime and Regulatory Crime. His general criminal work includes fraud and other dishonesty offences; computer crime, including breaches of copyright legislation; drug offences including significant conspiracies, involving large amounts of both money and drugs; money laundering; sexual offences; firearms offences including the running of firearms to sectarian groups in Ireland; and offences of violence up to and regularly including murder. He has appeared as leading junior on a number of occasions. His clients have included professional people charged with frauds relating to their work. His Regulatory Crime practice includes Health and Safety Executive prosecutions, an area in which he also delivers lectures, General Medical Council prosecutions and Environmental prosecutions. He regularly acts in inquests including deaths in custody. His practice is predominantly defence work, although he prosecutes for the General Medical Council, local authorities and for the Crown Prosecution Service at Category 4 up to and including murder.

Significant Recent Cases

R -v- Benjamin Wilson (Central Criminal Court) Defence Junior. Two month trial involving the running of machine guns and other firearms to sectarian groups in Ireland
R -v- Mu Yong Lin (Preston) Defence Junior. Morecambe Bay cockle pickers. Seven month trial alleging manslaughter of 21 Chinese cockle pickers. This case led to the introduction of the Gangmaster (Licensing) Act 2004. Junior counsel for one of the Chinese gangmasters.
R -v- Frederick Jones (Cardiff)Defence Junior. Double manslaughter case involving Legionnaires disease contracted from the Copthorne Hotel, Cardiff 

MURDER

R -v- Raymond Hughes (Preston) Defence Junior for first defendant in revenge murder of alleged police informant.
R -v- Paul Culshaw (Preston) Defence Junior. Full life sentence for murder of Lancaster prostitute.
R -v- David Burns (Manchester) Defence Junior. 16 year old defendant acquitted of murdering his brother-in-law on grounds of provocation.
R -v- Richard Johnstone (Preston) Defence Junior. Joint street attack on victim who died some weeks later. Substantial medical causation issues of some complexity.
R -v- Brendan Woods (Liverpool) Defence Junior. Defendant acquitted of murdering his brother in a knife attack on grounds of lack of intent.
R -v- William McInnes (Preston) Prosecution Junior. “Body in the boot murder”. Defendant convicted of murdering his partner and leaving her body in the boot of a rental car in Blackpool where it was discovered some weeks later.
R -v- Vladamir Brandejes (Manchester) Defence Junior. Czech national who with a co worker robbed and killed their employer before fleeing the country. Extradited back to UK.
R -v-  Ian Grant (Preston) Defence Junior. Defendant strangled his wife in alleged steroid “rage” following argument.
R -v- Shaun Jackson (Preston) Defence Junior. Defendant murdered his friend  following drunken argument.
R -v- Luke Harvey (Preston) Defence Junior.  Defendant charged with murder of young traveller in an alleged revenge attack following theft of a motor cycle. Convicted of manslaughter.
R -v- Stephen Brown (Preston) Defence Junior. Defendant killed his mother’s boyfriend who had made sexual advances to the Defendant’s partner.  Medical causation issues. Defendant pleaded to manslaughter.
R -v- Sajad Ali (Preston) Prosecution Junior.  Doorman killed drunken club goer.  


FRAUD

R -v- Pamela Tickle (Liverpool) Leading defence junior in large scale NHS fraud in chain of optician shops, involving sums in excess of £1 million
R -v- Philip Johnson (Stoke-on-Trent) Junior counsel for leading defendant, a blind chartered accountant, in a large scale fraud and blackmail case.
R -v- Chris Sanders (Wolverhampton) Defence Junior. Operation Emersed multi million pound MTIC fraud.
R -v- Alick Kapikanya and others. (Manchester) Prosecution counsel in Major Crime Unit prosecution. Property fraud. 

HEALTH AND SAFETY

R -v- Chargot Limited (t/a Contract Services) [2008] UKHL 73 Defence trial counsel for Ruttle Contracting one of two companies prosecuted for fatality at work. Advised upon appeal. Now a leading case.
HSE -v- Unichem PLC (Boots Chemists) (Preston) Defence counsel in fall from height fatality.
HSE -v- David Swindells Jr (Manchester) Defence counsel in three week Crown Court trial. Fall from height of scaffolder in confined space. Ran successful argument re Brown verdict.
HSE -v- PC Richardson (Carlisle) Defence counsel in fall from height at Sellafield whilst dismantling irradiated chimney stack from the 1957 “Windscale Fire”; Britain’s biggest nuclear disaster.
Oldham MBC -v- Travis Perkins (Manchester) Defence counsel in Crown Court prosecution for accident at work involving significant crushing injuries.
HSE -v- E W Cartons (Burnley) Defence counsel for company in prosecution relating to a fatal accident at place of employment.
HSE -v- James Thompson (Newcastle) Defence counsel for company in prosecution relating to a fatal accident at place of employment. 

OTHERS

R -v- Edward Izzet [2004] EWCA 586
Chief Constable of Lancashire -v- Lisa Marie Potter [2003] EWHC 2272 (Admin) One of the leading cases on Anti-Social Behaviour Orders
R -v- John Dunlop [2001] EWCA Crim 1808
Attorney General of the Falkland Islands -v- Shaun May (Stanley) Defence Junior. Secured acquittal in the first prosecution in over 60 years for causing death by reckless driving on the Falkland Islands.
GMC vs Dr Wendy Chapman Acted on behalf of the General Medical Council against the Harlequins RFC "Bloodgate Scandal" doctor. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-11055639