Narita Bahra KC leads defence in Patisserie Valerie SFO prosecution

SFO prosecutions are unlike any other criminal proceedings. The disclosure runs to millions of documents. The investigations span years before a defendant ever reaches trial. The decisions made in the earliest stages on case strategy, on how to engage with the process, on where to focus forensic resources, shape everything that follows.

Those who have navigated this landscape before understand it. For those encountering an SFO investigation for the first time, the importance of assembling the right team from the outset cannot be overstated.
33 Chambers are instructed to act for the first defendant in the SFO prosecution arising from the collapse of Patisserie Holdings plc, a case that has attracted significant professional and regulatory scrutiny, involving both Grant Thornton and KPMG, and which raises serious questions about governance, financial oversight, and individual accountability. The SFO opened its investigation in 2018. Trial is listed for 2028.

Narita Bahra KC — ranked Tier 1 in Financial Crime in both the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners — leads a carefully assembled defence team, including Catherine Collins, Alexander Barbour contributing rare international depth drawn from specialist fraud practice in the Cayman Islands alongside domestic expertise. The team is instructed by Jameela Jamroz of JJ Law.

What the team offers goes beyond courtroom advocacy , it is forensic case analysis from day one, tactical oversight across a complex and evolving document landscape, and the kind of strategic judgement that comes from handling some of the most demanding financial crime proceedings in the UK.

For those advising clients under investigation, or facing proceedings directly, they will understand that early specialist advice is not a luxury. It is the foundation of any effective defence.