Top tax barrister Robert Venables KC, 78, of Old Square Tax Chambers is currently facing three counts of dishonestly cheating the public revenue in criminal proceedings before a jury at Southwark Crown Court.
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
✍️ July 2026: Jury to consider verdicts as the trial of KC accused of dodging £2m in tax comes to an end
✍️ July 2026: “It has become clear that a serious problem has arisen between you” – Judge urges jury to be respectful
✍️ July 2026: “Now you’re a jury of 11” – KC Tax Trial latest
✍️ July 2026: Venables jury down to 10
✍️ July 2026: Venables Trial Collapses
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Reporting by freelance journalist Daniel Cloake
Robert Venables (left) with barrister Stuart Biggs KC outside Southwark Crown Court
Twelve random members of the public, comprising the jury here at Southwark Crown Court, have been told they will begin their deliberations tomorrow morning to consider their verdicts. This comes at the end of week 7 of this criminal trial.
It is simply impossible to predict how long it might take for the jury to reach a decision.
Jacob Grattage, a reporter at Business & Accountancy Daily, has covered the closing statements of both the prosecution: ‘‘Greed’, ‘entitlement’, and ‘intellectual superiority’, prosecution closes in £2m trial of tax barrister‘.
And the defence: ‘‘He doesn’t have to prove anything,’ defence closes in barrister’s £2m tax trial‘.
Today was the second day of summing up by Mr Justice Calver who had told the jury to “please remember this is just a summary. I’m not going to rehearse word for word everything that you’ve heard from the witnesses.”
Remarking to the jury that “each one of you has listened very carefully to all the evidence given in the case”, the judge warned them “not to guess or speculate on matters not covered by the evidence. Secondly, you must confine your decisions just to the evidence placed in front of you.”
Several weeks ago, Stuart Biggs KC, representing the defendant, had told the jury that “there is nothing legally wrong with avoiding tax and exploiting loopholes”. This case is not about whether the schemes worked or not – it has been ruled that, as a point of law certified by the Court of Appeal, they did not work.
The whole case centres on whether Mr Venables knew the schemes did not work – “The key question to you, members of the jury, is what was the defendant’s state of mind at the relevant time” said Mr Justice Calver.
The jury were told that they had to be sure, in respect of each count on the indictment, that in devising each of the tax avoidance schemes Mr Venables knew he had infringed the relevant obligation, and so knew he was under-declaring his income to reduce his tax bill, before they could convict.
“If you cannot be sure … you must find him not guilty” summarised the judge, adding that the jury’s verdicts do not have to be the same on each of the three counts. Count 2 is an alternative to count 1 in any event.
Warning: We remind our readers that these are active criminal proceedings and it could be considered a contempt of court if there were to be any speculation or commentary about the case which could influence the jury.
To assist them with their deliberations the jury have been provided with two documents. We would encourage those with an interest in the case to read both in full.
First, the legal directions of Mr Justice Calver:
And the route to verdict:
As we said at the beginning – it is simply impossible to predict how long it might take for the jury to reach a decision. Watch this space.
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.
The mouseinthecourt attended Southwark Crown Court on Thursday 2nd July 2026.
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