Calderwood House, Montpellier Parade, Cheltenham GL50 1UA
Our criminal defence solicitors provide clear legal advice and representation for people facing allegations of fraud and related offences. We can advise you from the initial investigation and police interview through to court proceedings, helping you understand the allegations, evidence and legal options available to you.
Criminal Defence Advice
A fraud investigation can place your business, professional standing and personal finances under pressure at the same time. Our solicitors help you identify what investigators say was dishonest and how the transactions or documents are being interpreted. We listen to the commercial background, review the allegation against the records and explain the immediate decisions, including an interview request, seized devices or restrictions affecting money and property.
Financial crime cases require more than reading a list of payments. Our legal team examines authority, knowledge, the movement of funds and the context in which representations were made, separating business failure or administrative error from the conduct actually alleged. We can coordinate criminal defence preparation with appropriately instructed counsel and experts, while keeping you informed about evidence requests, possible confiscation proceedings and the scope of work needed at each stage.
The Fraud Act 2006 includes fraud by false representation, failure to disclose information where there is a legal duty, and abuse of position. These offences involve dishonesty and an intention to make a gain or cause or expose another to loss; an actual gain or loss is not always required. Money laundering offences under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 involve different elements concerning criminal property and the relevant knowledge or suspicion, which must be considered separately.
Fraud allegations can arise from false representations, abuse of position, false accounting, workplace conduct, business activity or online transactions. We start by identifying the conduct alleged and then review the records investigators say support it.
The evidence may include bank statements, accounting records, invoices, emails, messaging data, device downloads and company documents. Money laundering allegations can also be added where investigators say funds or property are linked to criminal proceeds, making the case wider than the original fraud allegation.
We can provide legal representation during a police interview about financial transactions, documents or the movement of funds.
Serious fraud and money laundering cases can involve several defendants and large volumes of digital or financial material. If charged, we can obtain the prosecution papers, organise the evidence and work with an appropriately instructed Crown Court barrister where required.
In a complex Crown Court case, the financial records may remain relevant after trial if compensation or confiscation proceedings follow.
A commercial explanation should be supported by the documents available, not reconstructed around selected transactions. Missing records, inconsistent explanations about authority and unexplained personal benefit can create difficulties. However, a loss or failed investment does not itself prove fraud. We examine the alleged representation, duty or abuse and the evidence of dishonesty, considering the full audit trail rather than accepting that an unusual payment necessarily shows a crime.
The difficulty in a financial case is often the volume of material. We organise the records around the actual allegation, identify which transactions or communications are being relied upon and keep the preparation focused on your role rather than the wider investigation as a whole.
Where the case develops into Crown Court or confiscation proceedings, we can continue dealing with the same financial background and work with the barrister or other professionals required. That continuity reduces the need to reconstruct a complex history at each new stage.
Fees are strongly influenced by the number of transactions, devices and parties, and the extent of accounting or digital analysis required. We agree a defined first stage and identify likely counsel or expert charges, VAT where applicable and expenses. Restraint, confiscation or other separate applications can require additional work, so their scope and funding should be discussed rather than assumed to be included in a trial estimate.
We do not accept legal aid instructions. If you choose our firm, we will agree our fees with you before substantive work begins.
Fraud Defence FAQs
Common questions about financial evidence, money laundering, business investigations, Crown Court cases and costs.
Evidence can include bank statements, accounting records, invoices, emails, messages, phone data, company documents and witness statements. The important question is how those records support the alleged dishonesty, authority or knowledge, rather than how many transactions appear in the bundle.
Yes. We can review the transactions, source of funds, connected allegations and other evidence investigators say links money or property to criminal conduct. We distinguish the legal allegation from the mere appearance of an unusual payment and consider your knowledge or suspicion at the relevant time.
Yes. Workplace and business investigations can involve company accounts, internal documents, emails, access records and transactions as well as police evidence. Your position alone does not prove wrongdoing, but the authority you held and what you knew about the transactions may be central issues.
Yes. You can obtain advice during the investigation and before an interview under caution or charging decision. We can help clarify the transactions under investigation and the lawful way to preserve business records without altering or selectively removing material.
Digital devices can contain emails, messages, documents and account information. We can advise during the investigation and review the material later relied upon by the prosecution.
Serious fraud and money laundering cases can proceed to the Crown Court. We can prepare the case and work with an appropriately instructed barrister where required.
Yes, in some cases confiscation proceedings can follow conviction and involve detailed financial information. We can advise on the criminal case and the connected financial stage.
Fees depend on the volume of financial and digital evidence, the stage your case has reached and whether the matter proceeds to a Crown Court trial. We can explain the likely costs before you decide to instruct us.
Not necessarily. A bad outcome or unpaid debt does not by itself establish criminal dishonesty. Investigators must identify the offence and evidence supporting its elements, including the relevant intention. We examine what was represented, what you knew at the time and the commercial records explaining the transaction.
Yes, certain restraint or freezing procedures can operate before conviction if their legal conditions are met. The order's terms, permitted expenditure and challenge procedure need prompt review. Do not move assets to avoid an order; provide the documents to your solicitor so lawful options and deadlines can be assessed.
If an interview is approaching, accounts or devices have been examined or you have been charged, speak to us about the investigation and the evidence involved. We can explain what needs to happen next and the likely costs.
Arrange a telephone call or visit our Cheltenham office by appointment. We assist clients in Cheltenham and the surrounding Gloucestershire area.
Call 0330 900 0377, email info@pembridgesolicitors.co.uk or request a consultation.
Pembridge Solicitors
Calderwood House, Montpellier Parade
Cheltenham GL50 1UA
Office visits by appointment.