Ashmans Solicitors

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Ashmans Solicitors Legal 500 | Specialist Criminal Defence | Trusted by Professionals | 24/7 Legal Support Across England & Wales

We have developed a formidable reputation in each of our practice areas and are highly regarded by both our clients and other practitioners in each practice area.

26/09/2026

If you're a professional accused of fraud, you're not just defending a criminal charge, you're protecting your career. For accountants, solicitors or financial advisers, a single allegation can prompt a regulator to investigate while criminal proceedings are still live. That creates two fronts: the prosecution on one hand, and the risk of suspension or losing your licence to practise on the other. These cases require a coordinated strategy, because what you tell criminal investigators can affect your regulatory position and what you tell your regulator can influence the criminal case. If you're under investigation, seek specialist advice early!

24/09/2026

Many people trust disappearing messages because they feel private, but in a drugs case that reassurance can be misleading. Screenshots, restored backups, and other participants’ phones can revive those “deleted” chats, and put you at the centre of a drug-supply investigation. The prosecution only needs the message to exist somewhere, not necessarily on your device. The accuracy and completeness of any recovered material can be tested. If disappearing messages have emerged in your drugs case, contact our team before you respond!

22/09/2026

Your fraud investigation went quiet two years ago and you may have assumed it’s finished. That could be premature. “Released under investigation” has no set end point, and for serious fraud there’s often no time limit on when a charging decision can be made. Cases can reappear long after the silence, by then evidence may have been gathered, accounts analysed and a decision reached without your input. Silence isn’t closure. The sensible step is to press for an update and, where appropriate, make representations explaining why no charge should follow. If you’re still under investigation, don’t just wait, get specialist advice.

19/09/2026

Many people wrongly assume crypto is anonymous. In a drug probe that misconception can be harmful. Investigators can trace wallet transactions and use fund movements as evidence of supply or conspiracy, even if someone never physically handled a controlled substance. Unexplained transfers and payment timing can be presented as circumstantial proof, and the blockchain keeps a permanent record. If your finances have been linked to a drugs case, speak to our team first!

17/09/2026

Our client, who had been represented by another firm, had already pleaded guilty and was on his way to the Crown Court for sentence, which is where most people assume the case ends. He’d been prosecuted by Trading Standards over the labelling of a “Skinny Prosecco” product and, acting on poor advice, pleaded guilty to every offence at the Magistrates' Court and faced confiscation under the Proceeds of Crime Act. While a guilty plea normally leaves only sentence and any confiscation amount to decide, it can be vacated in appropriate circumstances, including where the plea was entered because of incorrect legal advice. We applied to the Crown Court to have the plea set aside; the judge agreed, the prosecution restarted from the beginning, and after our legal submissions the substantial charges were dismissed. A mistaken plea isn’t always the end, getting the right specialist advice from the outset is what avoids it.

15/09/2026

Contrary to the myth that cryptocurrency is untraceable, investigators can follow wallet activity on the blockchain and use fund movements, unexplained transfers and payment timing as circumstantial evidence of drug supply or conspiracy, even if you never physically handled a controlled substance. If your finances have been linked to a drugs case, speak to our team first.

12/09/2026

If you've received a Code of Practice 9 (COP9) letter from HMRC, how you act next could determine whether the issue stays civil or becomes a criminal matter. COP9 gives you the opportunity to fully disclose suspected tax fraud, but it’s a contractual arrangement, an incomplete or misleading disclosure breaks that contract. Get it wrong and HMRC can remove the protection and pursue criminal charges, using everything you’ve said. The real risk is treating COP9 as normal correspondence: it’s a strategic process with strict rules, and the disclosure report must be exact. If a COP9 letter has landed with you, get specialist advice before you reply.

10/09/2026

You might think that because your name never appears in the messages you can't be linked to a drugs conspiracy, but prosecutors can tie you to a case through phones, vehicles, meetings, payments or patterns of contact. In England and Wales conspiracy can be proved on circumstantial evidence, so every strand needs challenging, if you've been charged, contact our team now!

08/09/2026

If Trading Standards or HMRC have raided your shop and seized stock, your first move might be damage control, but many shopkeepers don’t realise that selling non-duty-paid goods is a serious revenue offence, most commonly prosecuted as fraudulent evasion of duty under section 170 of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979. The consequences can be severe: unlimited fines, forfeiture of goods, jeopardy to your alcohol or to***co licence, and in extreme cases custodial sentences alongside confiscation proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. Investigators aim to prove knowledge and dishonesty, and the account you give before charge can often determine the outcome. If Trading Standards or HMRC have contacted you, speak to a specialist defence solicitor before any interview!

05/09/2026

When you're charged alongside others in a drugs conspiracy, co-defendants' goals can diverge, one may try a "cut‑throat" defence to shift blame, and if you're unprepared their testimony can be as harmful as the prosecution's. If you're facing a joint drugs charge, contact our team so we can protect your position from the outset!

Address

City Gate House 246-250 Romford Road
London
EZ9HZ

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 9am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 9am - 5:30pm
Thursday 9am - 5:30pm
Friday 9am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+443330096275

Website

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