Top tax barrister Robert Venables KC, 78, of Old Square Tax Chambers is currently facing three counts of dishonestly cheating the public revenue in active criminal proceedings before Southwark Crown Court.
The existence of the charges were first revealed by Dan Neidle, of Tax Policy Associates, in a report headed “Robert Venables, senior tax KC, is being prosecuted by HMRC for tax evasion“.
Our reporting of this case:
✍️ Jan 2025: Barrister accused of falsifying tax returns – the indictment revealed
✍️ May 2026: Trial date set for barrister accused of falsifying tax returns
✍️ May 2026: Barrister’s barrister tells jury: “There is nothing legally wrong with avoiding tax and exploiting loopholes”
✍️ May 2026: Wise gardener gives evidence in KC Tax Cheat case
✍️ June 2026: Venables’ Bookkeeper Gives Evidence in KC Tax Cheat Case
✍️ June 2026: R v Venables KC: The HMRC Interviews: “wouldn’t it be wonderful if tax law were always simple and logical”
✍️ June 2026: HMRC’s criminal probe against Tax KC had “Red Risks”, jury told
✍️ June 2026: HMRC’s ‘menacing’ correspondence meets Tax KC’s threats of defamation, jury hears
✍️ June 2026: R v Venables KC: The Agreed Facts
✍️ June 2026: Top Tax KC: “I’ve been cancelled” as jury told of humble beginnings
✍️ June 2026: Tax KC’s ‘private working notes’ were attempt to ‘pull the wool over the eyes of HMRC’, jury told
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Reporting by freelance journalist Daniel Cloake
Robert Venables (left) with barrister Stuart Biggs KC outside Southwark Crown Court
In January 2025 this site exclusively reported details of the underlying indictment*.
On Count 1, ROBERT VENABLES between the 1st January 2013 and 30th November 2022 dishonestly cheated the Commissioners of His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) of income tax by submitting self-assessment tax returns for tax years 2014/2015 to 2020/2021 which falsely declared the amount of his income for taxation purposes by not including in his return the profits of other partners of the RVQC Partnership, thereby depriving HMRC of revenue to which he knew (because of the operation of either the Settlements Code or the Mixed Member Rules) that HMRC was entitled.
On Count 2, ROBERT VENABLES between the 1st January 2013 and 30th November 2022 dishonestly cheated the Commissioners of His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) of income tax by submitting self-assessment tax returns for tax years 2014/2015 to 2020/2021 which falsely declared the amount of his income for taxation purposes by not including the share of profits of the RVQC Partnership which had been used to pay for services provided to him, thereby depriving HMRC of revenue to which he knew that HMRC was entitled.
On Count 3, ROBERT VENABLES between the 1st January 2018 and the 30th November 2022 dishonestly cheated the Commissioners of His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs of income tax by submitting a self-assessment tax return in which he falsely declared the amount of his income for taxation purposes by not including Citadel Ltd’s profits as income of his own, and thereby depriving HMRC of revenue to which he knew that HMRC was entitled.
In a statement issued to Tax Policy Associates by Old Square Tax Chambers, it was said that “The charges are denied… Mr Venables is confident that he has paid all tax lawfully due“.
In March 2026, the Law Society Gazette reported that Mr Venables entered not guilty pleas to two* charges.
*The initial version of this article did not include a third charge which was added shortly before trial.
At this 46-minute hearing before Mr Justice Calver we were told that the trial is expected to start on Monday May 18th 2026 and last for 4-5 weeks. Mr Venables, wearing a dark grey suit, sat in the well of the court.
We were told the identity of at least two witnesses – Mr Dean Wise, Mr Venables’ gardener, and Ms Amanda West, Mr Venables bookkeeper. A tax expert is also expected to give evidence.
Pre-trial hearings are subject to strict reporting restrictions.
The CPS are represented by Julian Christopher KC, Marika Lemos KC, and Michael Hick. Mr Venables is represented by Stuart Biggs KC and Erin McKee.
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