Teresa Hay

Teresa has a balanced practice prosecuting and defending general and financial crime, consumer law, and private prosecutions. As a grade 3 CPS prosecutor and specialist rape advocate she handles the full range of criminal offences including serious sexual and violence offences. She has particular expertise dealing with young or otherwise vulnerable witnesses and clients, including the use of intermediaries, a topic on which she has previously lectured. She has experience of large scale and high profile cases, both acting on her own, and as a junior.

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Teresa regularly appears in cases involving historical sexual offences of particular gravity and complexity. She has prosecuted allegations of sexual offending  against multiple defendants involving multiple complainants and wide ranging enquiries. She has acted in cases involving familial abuse both contemporary and historical, and cases involving allegations of abuse at school. Her experience includes calling and cross examining witnesses with particular special needs and of a very young age.

R v Griffin (Operation Yewtree): prosecuted former Radio One DJ and personality accused of a series of historical sexual assaults spread over 35 years. The case, and the wider enquiry, attracted significant media attention and comment. Lead by Miranda Moore QC.

R v SG: successful defence of a man accused of abusing his 5 year daughter. The trial involved cross examination of the child who was called to give evidence.

R v AB: successful defence of vulnerable 17 year old with serious learning disabilities accused of serious sexual assault on another child with learning disabilities.

R v X: prosecuted allegations of historical sexual abuse committed by a father who systematically abused his children and step children over 2 decades. The case was further complicated by the fact that the children were placed with him by Social Services as a result of previous abuse.

R v GM: Defended a 40 year old man charged with historical offences against his niece. The defendant has himself been the victim of abuse within the family, and the complainant had a similar history. The case required a particularly careful and sensitive approach.

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Teresa's fraud practice has included cases involving credit card and identity fraud, haulage fraud, and fraudulent share dealing, with an emphasis on defending. She is currently instructed in a multi-handed immigration conspiracy involving the use of "hired" passports due to be tried in September 2015.

R v Grant: defending haulier charged with conspiracy to commit systematic fraud against local authority run transport company. The case also involved an appearance before the Traffic Commissioner.

R v Harris and others: defending a transgender client in a share dealing conspiracy involving acts committed in the UK and abroad.

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Teresa is instructed in the most serious cases including murder, organised violence, and drug related offending. She is often instructed because of her sensitive and straightforward approach and high level of client and witness care.

R v M: Representing a 15 year old acquitted of murder. Lead by Miranda Moore QC.

R v Moncrieffe: Represented first defendant in conspiracy to supply class A, involving a "cut throat" defence. Served with approx 1500 pages of telephone evidence the week before trial, and various other significant pieces of evidence during the trial itself, much of which was successfully excluded.

R v M: defended a 16 year old charged with various conspiracies relating to a fatal gang attack which took place in public view and was all captured on CCTV. Defendant convicted only of violent disorder and acquitted of conspiracies to cause grievous bodily harm and possess weapons. Lead by Amanda Pinto QC.

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Teresa has prosecuted for local authorities, the Office of Fair Trading (now the Competition and Markets Authority), the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT), and on behalf of individual trademark holders. She also appeared as junior prosecution counsel in the combined appeals by various publicans convicted of using so called "illegal Sky" imported from outside the UK. Teresa is part of the team from 5 Paper Buildings who appear at the Trading Standards Institute conference every year.

R v Fox  (and others): Prosecuted the first CPUTS prosecution relating to an illegal pyramid promotional scheme. The scheme attracted national media attention and involved thousands of participants in the UK, and some abroad, before collapsing causing loses in excess of £20m. The case involved issues of UK interpretation of European law, compatibility of UK and European law, and applying newly defined legal concepts. Lead by Miles Bennett.

TM Eye v various: instructed in private prosecutions on behalf of luxury goods companies seeking to uphold their trademarks. These cases involve advising on, preparing, and seeking anonymity and special measures applications on behalf of undercover operatives used by a private company as opposed to a law enforcement agency.

Advising Hertfordshire County Council - Teresa advised on the viability of prosecuting a house-builder after complaints were received from consumers who had bought properties on an estate marketed with no social housing, only for the house-builder to sell a significant proportion of the properties to a housing association when private buyers were not forthcoming. The issue attracted national media attention at the time and featured on BBC's "Watchdog". The advice involved not only analysis of the relevant legal principles, but the balancing of competing  policy considerations at a local and national level.

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Teresa has appeared for both appellants and respondents in the Court of Appeal in relation to conviction and sentence. She has appeared on behalf of the CPS as interested party in Judicial Review cases in the Administrative court on a number of occasions.

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Teresa has represented an interested party during interlocutory hearings. She  represented the CPS at an inquest into a death following a violent assault, where the CPS had an interest but was not formally an interested party.

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