Barbara Louise Webster was called to the Bar in 2005 and has specialised in Criminal work ever since.
In 2007 she undertook a 6 months secondment at Revenue and Customs Prosecution Office. She returned to private practice with a mixed prosecution and defence workload.
In 2009 Barbara was invited to become in-house counsel to the Central Fraud Group of the CPS. She advised on complex fraud cases, specialising in tax and tax credit frauds, importation of all prohibited items and advising HMRC officers on their powers. Barbara was responsible for drafting letters of request to other jurisdictions.
Barbara benefitted from the specialist internal training programmes. She returned to private practice in chambers in March 2011. Barbara has again developed her practice for both the Prosecution and Defence.
She has built a strong reputation, particularly for her ability to assimilate large amounts of papers, present cases electronically, and provide appropriate advices in good time.
Defence work included firearms cases, conspiracy to rob, complex fraud, serious violence and sexual offences, sometimes including extremely young witnesses.
Barbara has gained particular experience with cases of complexity involving multiple defendants.
She is VHCC accredited and defended in Operation Valgus, a large multi-handed Mortgage Fraud.
During the course of her employment at Revenue and Customs, Barbara was responsible for providing charging decisions for a variety of HMRC cases. These included the charging of Directors, offences under the VATA Act, Cheating the Revenue and a variety of “Grabiner” offences. She has prosecuted a number of Directors and gained extensive experience in this area. Whilst employed by RCPO, Barbara undertook a number of training courses and provided advices for the head of the organisation, and the Attorney General.
She is Junior counsel to Andrew Stubbs QC, involved in a multi million pound EMTIC fraud, which had to date resulted in 25 convictions of various directors of a number of companies.
During her 3.5 years at RCPO and then the Fraud group, she attended several training courses including those for surrounding prosecutions of Directors of companies.
Her knowledge which she acquired during this period has become invaluable and sets her above some of her counterparts at the Bar.
Barbara’s life experience enables her to deal with witnesses and complainants with a sympathetic approach allowing them to feel at ease to enable them to feel comfortable providing full instructions.
She has experience in dealing with complex cases, mobile telephone evidence, disclosure procedures.
Barbara is regularly instructed by the Complex Case Unit of the CPS and on behalf of the Counter Corruption Unit.
She regularly advises the Council and the Lancashire Constabulary on sensitive disclosure matters. In addition, she has worked closely with the police during a raid on a solicitors’ practice and advised on Legal Professional Privilege material.
Barbara has experience prosecuting and defending in regulatory cases such as DEFRA, Forestry Commission, Environment Agency, Gangmasters’ regulation case, Health and Safety work and cases conducted by the Local Authority.
Barbara routinely deals with substantial cases prepared and presented electronically.
Appointments
CPS Category 4 Prosecutor
Areas of Expertise
- Crime
- Assault
- Robbery and Other violent crime
- Burglary and theft
- Confiscation (including Proceeds of Crime Cash and Asset Forfeiture)
- Corporate crime (including Company Directors Disqualification)
- Data Protection and Cyber Crime
- Disciplinary and Regulatory
- Drug Trafficking Offences
- Environmental Law
- Firearms
- Fraud and Money Laundering
- Inquests
- Judicial Review
- Licensing
- Local Government Legislation
- Murder / Manslaughter
- Revenue and Customs Offences
- Sexual Offences
- Sports Law
- Terrorism
- Trading Standards and Food Safety
- CPS Prosecutor: Level 4
- Member of the Rape and Fraud Panels
- Court of Protection
