Exchange Chambers’ Silk Profile – Gordon Cole KC
September 12, 2024
Gordon Cole KC has acted in a range of high-profile criminal cases, appeared in a BBC documentary providing “extraordinary insight” into criminal trials and forged a reputation as a leader in his field.
In the latest in a series of profiles on members of Exchange Chambers, we take a closer look at Gordon’s practice and his track record of success.
Leading legal directory Chambers UK 2024 says “juries love him” – and Gordon Cole KC has lived up to this billing in recent years with a number of trial successes.
Gordon specialises in all aspects of serious crime including murder, manslaughter, drugs, fraud, police corruption and serious sexual abuse.
Gordon has specialised in crime for over 40 years and has both prosecuted and defended in all types of cases as a junior, a leading junior and in Silk. He has been involved in many substantial drug, murder and fraud cases many of which have been VHCC cases. He has conducted cases all over the country and has considerable experience in cases which have been heard in the Court of Appeal.
In recent years, Gordon has successfully acted in range of high-profile trials, including a number of murder cases.
Earlier this year, in R v Moglione (2024), Gordon prosecuted a student who stabbed his stepfather to death while suffering from psychosis linked to epileptic seizures. The defendant was given an indefinite hospital order.
Gordon’s defence practice is particularly busy. In R v Hassan (2024), Gordon successfully defended a man charged with murder; attempted murder; and section 18 assault. He was found not guilty on all counts.
In R v White (2023) Gordon successfully defended a man charged with murder and manslaughter in a multi-handed trial while in R v Seremak (2023), he successfully defended an HGV driver charged with murder and manslaughter. Again, the defendant was found not guilty on both counts.
Other murder cases include R v Doughty (2023), the defence of man charged with murder after the deceased was stabbed five times with a Samurai sword following Manchester’s Caribbean Carnival, R v Williams and others (2022), a case involving the prosecution of 9 defendants indicted with murder in an internet café, R v Thomas (2022) a manslaughter by diminished responsibility case, R v Milburn (2022), a ‘who done it’ allegation of murder, R v Zazai (2022), a supposed ‘Honour’ type killing and R v Matthew Mason (2022), a high-profile case in which it was alleged that the victim was blackmailing the defendant.
Gordon also has a successful track record defending high-profile individuals.
He secured the acquittal of rapper Bugsy Malone (real name Aaron Davies) on two counts of inflicting grievous bodily harm following a fracas near his property and also secured the acquittal of England cricketer Ben Stokes who was charged with affray after an incident outside a nightclub.
Ranked as a leader in his field by the independent legal directories, Gordon is described by instructing solicitors as “unflappable” and “outstanding” with “great judgement and common sense”.
