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I am the victim of sextortion - what should I do?
David Sleight
Emily is an Associate in the Criminal Litigation department, specialising in all areas of financial and business crime, internal investigations, international crime and general crime.
Financial and Business Crime
Emily frequently represents clients in relation to financial and business crime investigations, including those facing allegations of fraud, bribery and corruption, tax evasion, false accounting, insider dealing, market abuse and money laundering. She has experience of investigations by a wide range of domestic and overseas agencies, including the Metropolitan Police Service, Serious Fraud Office (SFO), HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), National Trading Standards and the US Department of Justice (DOJ).
Internal Investigations
Emily also acts for corporate clients conducting internal investigations into allegations of misconduct, including fraud, data protection breaches and human rights breaches. Her experience spans a number of sectors, including professional services, financial services and non-profit. In addition, Emily represents individuals caught up in internal investigations by their employers.
International Crime and Extradition
Emily has a particular interest and expertise in international crime and extradition.
Before joining Kingsley Napley, Emily was part of the Standby Defence Team for Radovan Karadžić at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. At Kingsley Napley, Emily has worked on one of the very few universal jurisdiction cases brought in England and Wales, successfully defending an overseas individual charged with torture. Emily frequently writes and has given talks on the topic of universal jurisdiction and more generally on international criminal issues.
Emily has also advised clients on a number of investigations with cross border and international elements and acts for individuals facing extradition proceedings or the publication of INTERPOL red notices. Her current cases include a number of cross border investigations into alleged bribery and corruption.
General Crime, “Sextortion” and Blackmail
Emily advises clients under investigation by the police and other prosecuting authorities, from arrest and interviews under caution in the police station through to trial. Her experience includes defending clients accused of sexual offences, sexual misconduct in the workplace, possession or making of indecent images, assault, theft, and controlling and coercive behaviour.
In particular, Emily specialises in assisting individuals who are at risk of reputational damage due to falling victim to "sextortion" or blackmail. In doing so, she frequently works with Kingsley Napley’s reputation management team, to ensure that her clients achieve a result which avoids adverse publicity and reputational damage.
Diversity and Inclusion
Emily is a member of the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion group and is co-chair of the firm’s LGBTQ+ and Allies network.
Emily was shortlisted for the Law.com's Women, Influence, and Power in Law Award: Rising Star in Diversity Change, May 2022.
RECENT CASES
Financial and Business Crime
- Representing the former Finance Director of a listed company prosecuted by the FCA for false accounting, making misleading statements to the market and misleading the company’s auditors.
- Representing individuals in several high profile SFO investigations into suspected fraud, bribery and corruption and money laundering.
- Representing an individual in relation to a global investigation into suspected bribery and corruption.
- Successfully securing no further action against two individuals accused of suspected tax evasion by HMRC.
- Successfully securing no further action against a company director under investigation by National Trading Standards for alleged consumer rights offences.
Internal Investigations
- Conducting an internal investigation on behalf of a corporate client in relation to suspected criminal misconduct by several of its current and former employees.
- Conducting a cross-border internal investigation on behalf of a non-profit client in relation to press allegations concerning alleged human rights abuses.
- Conducting an internal investigation for a firm authorised by the FCA into allegations made by a whistleblower, including advising on the firm’s reporting obligations.
International Crime and Extradition
- Representing Colonel Kumar Lama, a Colonel in the Nepalese army, on charges of torture, following his arrest in the UK.
- Advising various individuals on risk of prosecution in UK for war crimes and related allegations.
- Representing several individuals in a high profile global investigation, including advising on the removal of INTERPOL red notices.
- Representing a company in relation to asset freezing, including challenging an overseas restraint order.
Criminal Defence and Police Investigations
- Representing a number of individuals who are victims of blackmail / “sextortion”.
- Representing a number of individuals who are currently facing crown court trials.
- Secured an acquittal at trial for an individual accused of theft. The CPS decided to offer no evidence on the first day of trial.
- Successfully persuaded the CPS to drop the case against a client charged with making indecent images.
- Currently working on several pre and post charge cases involving sex and relationship offences, and violence.
Professional memberships and societies
- Comittee Member of the Young Fraud Lawyers Association
- Membership Officer of the IBA War Crimes Committee
- Defence Extradition Lawyers Forum
- Women In Criminal Law
Publications
- Co-author of the bribery chapter in Cordery on Legal Service; the authority on every aspect of professional conduct, obligations and liability for those in the legal profession.
I am very happy with the result and I consider you to be very good at what you do, the way you face problems and the updates you regularly provide."
A client
Your firm has been light-years ahead of others.”
A client