Quentin Hunt is a criminal defence barrister who specialises in Account Freezing Order cases and securing the speedy return of frozen funds for his clients. He has written a guide to Account Freezing Orders and a further guide to defences to Account Freezing Orders.

Mr GH was an individual with a string of previous convictions for drug dealing and associated offences. He ran a mobile barbering service and had a large number of cash deposits into his bank account. As a result, Barclays Bank alerted the authorities by way of a suspicious activity report.

Following this, the police applied to the Magistrates’ Court for a without notice Account Freezing Order under section 303Z3 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. GH’s account was frozen. The police conducted investigations and, after a period of time, made an application for forfeiture of the funds. At this stage, GH approached Quentin Hunt, a barrister who specialises in opposing Account Freezing Order cases, in order to try to secure the release of his money.

Upon instruction, Quentin took detailed evidence from GH and provided a full bundle of documentation to the police and the court showing the legitimate nature of the funds held and the fact that GH operated a bona fide business. The police did not initially accept the evidence, but following pressure from Quentin, they agreed to the return of funds belonging to GH, amounting to approximately £60,000.

Following the release of the funds, Quentin worked with GH to press Barclays into releasing the money in an expeditious manner. Financial institutions can often drag their feet on the return of funds, even in circumstances where Account Freezing Orders are no longer in operation.

If you find yourself facing an Account Freezing Order or require advice in such a case, you can contact Quentin for a free, no obligation discussion about how he can assist. Quentin accepts instructions both through solicitors and directly from members of the public under the Direct Access scheme.