William Donnelly
Year of Call: 1981
Criminal Law
Bill worked as a prosecutor of serious crime for 25 years, including 5 years as a Crown Advocate. Prior to becoming a Crown Advocate, Bill was Divisional Crown Prosecutor for Bolton/Wigan branch of CPS Greater Manchester, with overall responsibility for all casework as well as a substantial personal caseload of the most serious cases.
Bill has experience both of prosecuting and defending fraud and POCA in cases involving
- "Crash for Cash"
- Phantom Road Traffic Accidents
- NHS Fraud
- Conventional Dishonesty Offences
His experience in prosecuting and defending rape involving male and female victims as well as other sexual offences; in particular as a member of the DPP's working party on internet sexual grooming and exploitation, Bill has a long-standing experience of the use of the internet in the abuse of children.
Many years' active involvement in the prosecution of large-scale cases of drugs supply/conspiracy have led to a familiarity with the evidential processes involved. Operation Waddington and Operation Redbud were challenging cases involving multi-defendant indictments for drugs, firearms, and proceeds of crime. That experience can now be brought to bear for defendants.
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Bill joined Chambers in 2011 with 25 years prosecution experience for the CPS, he now both prosecutes and defends in the crown courts throughout the UK, as well as the Court of Appeal in sentencing and conviction cases. Bill has particular expertise in prosecuting and defending in;
- Child Internet Abuse Cases
- Driving Offences
- Drug Offences
- Fraud and Proceeds of Crime
- Sexual Offences
- Serious Violence
As a former national lecturer to the Crown Prosecution Service lawyers in this area, defendants have benefited from his experience. In one recent case, a conviction for a section 172 offence was overturned on appeal when a basic procedural flaw in the prosecution's case was revealed. Attention to detail is vital in this area.
