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
The jury in the case of R v Venables KC has lost another member after Mr Justice Calver discharged a second juror, at the end of their eighth day of deliberations.
The reasons for this second discharge are completely unrelated to the circumstances surrounding the first, which we reported on last week.
Earlier today the jury had sent in three jury notes which took some time to answer. “You’ve given us all some homework… you’re probably thinking ‘we’re doing work, you should too'” is how the judge, Mr Justice Calver phrased it when delivering the answers.
For readers keen for more detail I’m afraid it’s beyond my ability to summarise what were fairly technical questions, and quite technical answers.
For example, in answering the second question the judge asked the jury to “go on to page 11 clause 9” then “look at clause 7 on page 9, look at sub-clause 6”.
The majority direction still stands, however just nine of the remaining ten need to agree in order to form a verdict on each count.
The minimum number of jurors that can comprise a jury before the Crown Court is nine. See s16(1) Juries Act 1974.
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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