[photo] Iain Edwards (2000)

Iain Edwards (2000)


Teams

Actions against the Police, Animal Welfare & Dangerous Dogs Act, Crime, International Human Rights, and Immigration

 

Education

LL.M. Public International Law (emphasis on international criminal law, UN law, and international human rights law), University College London (1999)

LL.B. (Hons.) Law with French Law and Language, University of East Anglia (1996)

DEUF (Diploma in French Law), Université Jean Moulin, Lyon (1995)


Practice

In crime Iain divides his defence practice between domestic and international work. In addition, he has a well-established practice in immigration and prison law, and a developing interest in extradition work.


Domestic criminal defence

Iain is a seasoned defence specialist with considerable trial experience acting both alone and when instructed as junior counsel. He represents defendants charged with the most serious offences of violence, public order, armed robbery, aggravated burglary, fraud, drugs trafficking and supply, and rape and sexual assaults. He has particular expertise in firearms cases. His background as a practitioner in immigration and asylum law enables him to bring an in-depth knowledge to human trafficking and illegal entry cases, and cases which feature other immigration or deportation issues. Iain has a special enthusiasm for cases which provide the opportunity to advance abuse of process arguments.

Some notable cases in which Iain has acted alone include:  

  • BE (Kingston Crown Court) – multi-handed conspiracy to supply heroin
  • BL (Winchester Crown Court) – firearms
  • DC (Isleworth Crown Court) – human trafficking
  • GB (Kingston Crown Court) – 14-handed conspiracy to supply heroin
  • CC (Inner London Crown Court) – 11 counts of rape and gross indecency (against defendant’s brother)
  • MSP (Snaresbrook Crown Court) – 8-handed violent disorder (gang-related attack in Ilford High Road)
  • MM (Snaresbrook Crown Court) – multi-handed armed home invasion
  • SF (Kingston Crown Court) – multi-handed cash-in-transit robbery
  • EI (Woolwich Crown Court) – firearms
  • TM (Basildon Crown Court) – firearms
  • DW (Kingston Crown Court) – money laundering
  • HI (Woolwich Crown Court) – firearms
  • KS (Harrow Crown Court) – firearms
  • OR (Reading Crown Court) – sexual assault of child
  • VR (Kingston Crown Court) – sexual assault
  • AA (Inner London Crown Court) – armed robbery
  • VR (Bouremouth Crown Court) – rape
  • TE (Blackfriars Crown Court) – conspiracy to defraud (first ever prosecution of its kind, the conspiracy involved the fraudulent purchase and use of Royal Mail SmartStamps, carried out in the context of a huge advance fee fraud in the UK, US and Canada)

Iain has been led in complex cases involving conspiracies to defraud, large-scale importation and production of drugs, and serious sexual abuse of children. Some examples of such cases include:  

  • TD (Maidstone Crown Court) – internet grooming and sexual abuse of children
  • CM (Snaresbrook Crown Court) – conspiracy to import class A drugs
  • QTN (Southwark Crown Court) – conspiracy to cultivate cannabis
  • LM (Luton Crown Court) – historical rape and gross indecency of children 
  • MB (Wood Green Crown Court) – multi-handed mortgage fraud

Iain has appeared in the Court of Appeal on a number of occasions either arguing that his clients’ sentences were manifestly excessive, or responding to references of the Attorney General. Some interesting cases in which Iain has been instructed on appeal include:

  • Toora [2006] EWCA Crim 2816
  • Attorney General’s Reference (Nos. 82 and 83 of 2006) (McDermott) [2006] EWCA Crim 2632
  • Del-Castillo [2006] EWCA Crim 3425
  • Officer [2004] EWCA Crim 152 


International criminal defence

Iain has had a long-standing academic interest in international criminal law. Since early 2009 he has been a member of three different defence teams representing persons accused of genocide and crimes against humanity before the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda based in Arusha, Tanzania. Since March 2010 he has been registered on the list of counsel authorised to represent defendants before the ICTR. He was appointed as a member of the defence teams in the following cases:

Dominique Ntawukulilyayo – The first sous-préfet to be indicted before the ICTR, Mr Ntawukulilyayo was charged with genocide, complicity in genocide, and direct and public incitement to commit genocide. The principal accusation related to a massacre of up to 25,000 Tutsis at Kabuye hill in his district of Butare prefecture. Most of the specific allegations against the client were found to be not proved but he was ultimately convicted of aiding and abetting, and of ordering, acts of genocide. This was a rare case where the Trial Chamber convicted by a majority with one of the three judges dissenting. On appeal, Mr Ntawukulilyayo was acquitted of ordering acts of genocide and his sentence reduced.

Gaspard Kanyarukiga – The client was an influential businessman based in Kibuye prefecture charged with genocide, complicity in genocide and extermination as a crime against humanity. It was alleged that he was one of the authorities most responsible for an infamous massacre at Nyange church whereby the church was deliberately bulldozed, crushing to death up to 2,000 Tutsis sheltering inside. Many specific allegations were found to be not proved but Mr Kanyarukiga was convicted in November 2010 of planning genocidal killings and of extermination. An appeal judgement is expected within the next couple of months.

Jean Uwinkindi – Mr Uwinkindi was a Pentecostal pastor in Kigali-Rural prefecture and is charged with genocide and extermination as a crime against humanity. The chief accusation against him relates to his alleged involvement in stopping a large number of displaced Tutsis at a roadblock close to his church before instigating and ordering their subsequent killing at the church. The client denies all the allegations against him. In December 2011 the Appeals Chamber upheld a decision to refer his case to Rwanda for trial before the High Court.


Iain is also presently instructed as co-counsel in the defence of Victoire Ingabire, the chairperson of FDU-Inkingi, a coalition of Rwandan opposition parties. The case is being heard in the High Court in Kigali which required Iain to be granted rights of audience in Rwanda by the Kigali Bar Association. In January 2010 Mrs Ingabire returned to Rwanda after 16 years in exile in the Netherlands with the intention of standing as a candidate in the up-coming presidential election. However, she was barred from registering and was instead arrested and charged with offences related to terrorism, genocide ideology, sectarianism and disseminating rumours aimed at inciting the public against the existing leadership. If convicted of these offences Mrs Ingabire faces the prospect of imprisonment for life. Her case has attracted considerable attention from, amongst others, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, LIPRODHOR and EurAc; it has also featured widely in the international media. Her trial started in September 2011 and is due to end in early 2012. It is the longest criminal trial to have been heard in Rwanda. 


Immigration and asylum

Iain has over 10 years' experience representing clients fleeing persecution. He has represented hundreds of asylum seekers from a wide range of countries in appeals before the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration & Asylum Chamber) and Upper Tribunal. He advises on potential judicial review challenges to immigration decisions. Iain has a particular interest in deportation appeals, and has significant expertise in immigration bail cases.   


Non-legal international experience

Iain was appointed as an election observer for the OSCE/ODIHR mission to Kazakhstan monitoring the parliamentary election of August 2007.


Profile

Iain joined Chambers as a pupil in 2001. Before coming to the Bar he worked as a caseworker in what was then one of the largest immigration solicitors’ firms in England. Until he took the decision to focus on and develop his criminal defence practice, about half of Iain's work was in the field of asylum and immigration, and associated human rights law.

Iain also worked for REDRESS, a London-based non-governmental organisation involved in seeking reparations for victims of torture from around the world.

Iain speaks fluent French and (increasingly rusty) Japanese. He would like to improve his Swahili and Italian.

His interests include travel, motorcycling, music, scuba-diving and theatre.


Memberships

Criminal Bar Association, Liberty, Amnesty International, Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers.