John Speight
- Job title: Solicitor, Business Crime
- Phone number: 0114 228 6246
- Email: john.speight@ashtonmortonslack.co.uk
John qualified in 1981 and since then has spent most of his career dealing with matters of Criminal Law ranging from murder to motoring.
John came to the world of business crime in 1992 through Operation Erie II the largest, at that time, legal aid case in the country involving an allegation of VAT fraud in the precious metals industry. In that case he too, like Mark Fowler, secured his client’s acquittal after a nine month trial at the Old Bailey in 1995.
After a short break becoming involved in the civil side of the business dealing with various matters including freezing orders, injunctions and confiscations, John returned full time to the Business Crime team in 2000 and has spent the last ten years independently involved in various high profile lengthy fraud cases such as Operations Aberdeen, Ginseng, Gnawed, Shepherd, Emmersed, Divert and Mazurka.
John has spent the last three years working on opposing confiscation proceedings in Operation Maypole, involving allegations of the removal of in excess of £50 million from the United Kingdom via Luxembourg, France Switzerland and Dubai.Recent instructions received by John have included an allegation in Operation Archway (Boiler Room Fraud), a 90 million Euro fraud on HSBC to be tried in June 2010 (Operation Malibu), an allegation of a large scale fraudulent importation of prescription only, Veterinary medicines to be tried in 2011,(Operation Victor) and Operation Varlet, an allegation of MTIC fraud.
He has also been retained to advise on an appeal to the Tax Tribunal in relation to an allegation of serious fraud in the security and bond market.