Position: Partner, Senior Solicitor
Accreditations: LPC and Degree: Merit, BA (Hons) 2:1, Accredited police station representative: 1997, Solicitor: 1999, Duty Solicitor (Criminal): 2000, Higher Courts Advocate: 2012
Personal Experience
John is our senior solicitor, with higher rights of audience. He is responsible for the management of our Police Station and Magistrates’ Court departments, as well as the extradition team. Due to his engaging court presence and his personable approach to his clients, he is a well-known and well liked figure across the magistrates’ courts of North London. However, he also has a reputation for leaving no stone unturned, meticulous case preparation and persuasive court advocacy.
John has successfully defended clients charged with a range of offences including murder, serious fraud and sexual offences. John also has extensive experience in representing clients in Extradition cases, and regularly appears before the Westminster Magistrates extradition court and in the Administrative Court in extradition appeals. He also has particular expertise in the law relating to defendants suffering from mental health problems, and regularly represents them at all stages of criminal proceedings.
John is regularly instructed in and cases involving football related offences and has achieved excellent results for a number of football supporters in relation to criminal allegations and any subsequent prohibitive orders such as Football Banning Orders and post-conviction anti-social behaviour orders. John also deals with regulatory crime, such as prosecutions under Health and Safety Legislation.
John’s extradition work includes a number of complex cases in the Administrative Court, including cases involving terrorism and murder, as well as legal issues such as prison conditions.
Cases
R v D, Westminster Magistrates Court and Administrative Court
Extradition proceedings, involving a client wanted by the United States of America. The client is wanted for making a false statement to the FBI in connection with international terrorism in Syria.
The client was discharged in the Magistrates Court but the US Government successfully appealed that decision. The case is now back in the High Court for a further appeal, involving the prison conditions in the client’s home state.
R v X, Central Criminal Court
Represented a young man with a significant mental health illness who was accused of attempting to murder two members of the public. John represented the client at his sentencing hearing, when he was given a hospital order and detained under the Mental Health Act.
R v B, Central Criminal Court
Multi handed murder trial. Represented the client from the police station to the Crown court trial as junior advocate. Client cleared of murder
R v P, Blackfriars Crown Court
Representing company director charged with fraud. Case discontinued following successful legal argument and representations to the CPS.
R v T, Woolwich Crown Court
Client with significant mental health problems found not fit to plead in respect of two counts of attempted murder; detained in hospital rather than serving a life sentence in prison. Later brought back to Court and found not guilty by reason of insanity.
R v C; Central Criminal Court
Fraud and false accounting allegation. A “paper heavy” case, involving a significant amount of forensic analysis.
R v M, Blackfriars Crown Court
Multi-jurisdictional banking fraud involving a number of defendants, valued at over a million pounds.
What our clients say about John
“Mr John Howey is excellent. I have not enough words to thank him. He is the best, if I have any issue I would like to use JFH Law in the future”
“Mr. Howey is very sympathetic and caring about his cases. He is also very reliable. The overall level of service was very good”
“Very Good Job! Respect to Mr John Howey, thanks for everything.”