MICHAEL HAYTON

Inn of Court: Lincoln’s Inn 

Year of Call: 1993

MA (Oxon)

hayton@deanscourt.co.uk

Education

Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Blackburn
St Anne's College, Oxford University
Inns of Court School of Law


Crime


Business crime and regulatory

 

'predominately concentrates on defence briefs, particularly those involving complex issues and fatalities'
- Chambers UK 2012
'very effective advocate who makes the most of what he has to work with'
- Legal 500, 2010
"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, 2009
‘Man for the big occasion.’
– Chambers UK, 2009
‘He gets results’
– Legal 500, 2008
‘An excellent client manner...Hard working and efficient’
– Chambers UK, 2008
‘A robust court performer’
– Legal 500, 2006 
'An impressive advocate. He fights till the fat lady sings’
– Legal 500, 2005

 

 

 

Legal 500

Individual 

 

Background and Practice

Michael Hayton is recommended year on year by both Legal 500 and ranked as a Leading Individual by Chambers UK, in general crime and regulatory work. His practice in those fields covers all areas, including 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 many occasions. His clients have included professional people charged with frauds relating to their work. He has advised and appeared in other jurisdictions including the Isle of Man and the Falkland Islands.

Michael Hayton’s regulatory work covers all areas of professional conduct. He specialises particularly in medical clients, acting for Doctors in inquests and professional conduct hearings. His coroners work includes Article 2 death in custody inquests. He has appeared in many Health and Safety prosecutions for both corporate and individual clients, normally in cases involving fatalities. He was trial counsel in the leading case of HSE v Chargot and others and has conducted many Crown Court trials in HSE prosecutions.

Michael Hayton’s practice is predominantly defence work, although he prosecutes for the Crown Prosecution Service as a Category 4 prosecutor at all levels up to and including murder and has acted for other prosecuting authorities in regulatory prosecutions.

 

Notable Cases

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-london11055639

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- Leanne Potter (Preston) Defence Junior for first defendant acquitted of murder. Victim died 4 months after alleged assault.

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- A K 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.

R -v- Swindell (David) [2008] EWCA Crim 3277 Defence counsel in 3 week fatality prosecution. Brown verdicts.

HSE -v- Unichem PLC (Boots Chemists) (Preston) 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- Wallbank (Lindsay Sarah) [2010] EWCA Crim 2172 Drug conspiracy involving undercover police officers.

R -v- Graham (George Robertson) [2009] EWCA Crim 2846

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.

Attorney General of the Falkland Islands -v- Colin MacDonald (Stanley) Defence Junior in historic sex abuse.

R-v- Paul Edensor - Defended tram driver who was three times the speed limit when he hit and killed a pensioner on Blackpool promenade http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/news/uk-england-lancashire-11949563