Undercover Policing Inquiry
Instructed on behalf of the Designated Lawyer Core Participant group in the Undercover Policing Inquiry, which is investigating and reporting on undercover police operations in England from 1968-2008.
Catherine’s practice encompasses all aspects of financial wrongdoing, and she carries her forensic expertise from white-collar crime and asset recovery into her investigative work.
She is ranked in Chambers UK 2026 and the Legal 500 as a ‘Leading Junior’ in the fields of Proceeds of Crime/Asset Forfeiture and Financial Crime.
Catherine acts for the prosecution and defence in white-collar crime matters; she has an incisive and thorough approach to substantial and complex fraud cases. Current instructions include acting for the first defendant in the Patisserie Valerie prosecution brought by the SFO, and acting for the SFO in its prosecution of the directors of the Raedex Group.
Her defence experience includes being instructed in money laundering (including international laundering and cases where there are Hawala banking defences), through to the first SFO prosecution for offences related to “rigging” LIBOR, and as a led junior in the successful defence of a Company Secretary charged with fraud and corruption.
Confiscation
R v Elie Taktouk (led): Successfully appealed a confiscation order, on the basis of fresh evidence.
R v DO: Acting in confiscation proceedings following convictions for breaching UK Sanctions.
Operation Salmon (led): Instructed in restraint/asset recovery proceedings in a £98m HMRC investigation
London Capital Finance (led): instructed by the SFO Proceeds of Crime Unit in restraint proceedings
FCA v Choucair & Abdel-Malek (led): Confiscation arising from convictions for insider trading.
R v Caplan: Confiscation arising from conviction for romance fraud.
R v Dunn: Confiscation arising from involvement in drug-dealing (Encrochat case).
R v AK: Successfully intervening for a bank, the victim of a fraud, in confiscation proceedings; defeated a proprietary claim made by the liquidator of AK’s former company to the bank’s misappropriated funds.
R v F: Successfully intervening for a company, the victim of fraud, in confiscation proceedings; application contested by the company director’s wife.
R v G: PoCA discontinued by the Crown following legal argument.
R v Dunn: Confiscation arising from involvement in drug-dealing (Encrochat case).
R v AK: Successfully intervening for a bank, the victim of a fraud, in confiscation proceedings; defeated a proprietary claim made by the liquidator of AK’s former company to the bank’s misappropriated funds.
R v F: Successfully intervening for a company, the victim of fraud, in confiscation proceedings; application contested by the company director’s wife.
R v G: PoCA discontinued by the Crown following legal argument
Account Freezing and Forfeiture
Re A Bank: advising a bank as an affected party in AFFO proceedings.
X (led): Successfully challenging seizure and detention applications under POCA 2002, related to high value Listed Assets and cash, on behalf of an UHNWI subject of politically charged allegations of criminal conduct.
Operation B (led): Successful forfeiture of an account balance, part of a wider investigation concerning the laundering of criminal cash and its eventual transfer to cryptoassets.
Re A and Re W: Acting in linked Freezing and Forfeiture cases concerning the suspicious movement of monies internationally via suspected Trade Based Money Laundering.
East Midlands Police v HM & LC: Acting in cash forfeiture proceedings originating from an industrial scale cannabis cultivation operation.
Other
A v ACC (led): Successfully resisted an application under s.72 PoCA.
Re: K: Successful variation of CJA 1988 Restraint Order for a Third Party in the context of enforcement proceedings against the defendant.
Represents individuals and public authorities who have been made interested persons.
Instructed on behalf of the Designated Lawyer Core Participant group in the Undercover Policing Inquiry, which is investigating and reporting on undercover police operations in England from 1968-2008.
Represented the MPS in the inquest into the death of a young woman, who had been hospitalised after a previous attempt to her own life.
Represented the mother of the deceased, who died in a police chase.
Catherine has appeared, both led and alone, in various high-profile cases on behalf of the Metropolitan Police, and other forces, advising in relation to warrants, disclosure orders, production orders and judicial review matters connected thereto. She has acted in investigations with an international element, and in those concerning terrorism, murder, and sex offences in addition to financial crime.
Catherine has experience in conducting internal investigations, she has also advised and represented individuals facing investigation and/or disciplinary proceedings brought by the FCA.
Conducted an internal investigation in relation to workplace sexual harassment.
Advised on an internal investigation.
Advised on jurisdiction in a threatened JR, in connection with TACT warrants.
Acting in respect of a stand-alone High Court SCPO, applied for on the basis of AH’s historic terror offences.
Acting in a JR following the MPS’s application for a warrant for the seizure of a stolen Qur’an of cultural significance from an auction house.
Catherine’s civil practice encompasses fraud, receivership and civil recovery. Relevant cases include:
Re X: Advising a professional executor on POCA implications arising in connection with the distribution of an estate.
Re X: Acting for the victim of a fraud. Intervening in Part 8 proceedings brought by the MPS, linked to an AFFO.
(A Charity) v PP (led): Fraud, conversion, personal and proprietary claims on behalf of an international charity; victim of a large-scale misappropriation by a corrupt employee.
NCA v (A Bank) (led): Representing a bank in civil recovery proceedings; negotiated settlement.
NCA v TD and others: Representing the Management Receiver in CJA receivership proceedings.
NCA v KH and SH: Acting for the Official Solicitor, intervening on behalf of a child in civil recovery proceedings.
Re: FX247: Representing a Third Party in Insolvency Act proceedings; negotiated settlement.
MA (Oxon) – English Language & Literature
Graduate Diploma in Law
Bar Vocational Course (Outstanding)
Inner Temple Ede & Ravenscroft Prize (Pupillage Scholarship)
Appointed to the Proceeds of Crime Panel for the SFO
Appointed to the Prosecution Panel for the SFO
Metropolitan Police DLS Panel
CPS Proceeds of Crime Panel Level 3
I, Catherine Collins, am a data controller and can be contacted at 3 Raymond Buildings, Gray’s Inn, London WC1R 5BH or by telephone on 020 7400 6400 or by email at catherine.collins@3rblaw.com. My Data Protection Policy can be found on here.
All personal data that I process is for the purposes of providing legal services, conducting conflict-checks, marketing, defending potential complaints, legal proceedings or fee disputes, keeping anti-money laundering records, training other barristers and pupils and when providing work-shadowing opportunities, and/or exercising a right to a lien. The types of data I process vary upon the nature of the legal matter in relation to which I am engaged to advise, but can include names, contact details, biographic details and ‘special category personal data’ (such as details of racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, health, sex life and criminal convictions and proceedings).
Depending upon the circumstances of the case, the legal bases upon which I process personal data are (i) the performance of a contract to which the data subject is a party or in order to take steps at the request of the data subject prior to entering into a contract, (ii) the processing is necessary to comply with legal obligations to which I am subject, or (iii) the processing is necessary for the legitimate interests set out above, except where such interests are overridden by the interests or fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subjects which require protection of personal data, in particular where the data subject is a child. When I rely on (iii) legitimate interests, my ‘Legitimate Interests Assessment’ can be found here. When I process data which has not been obtained directly from the data subject (e.g. personal data contained in evidential materials), it will have been supplied to me as part of my instructions in circumstances covered by legal professional privilege.
Depending upon the circumstances of the case, I may share the personal data with:
I retain personal data for no longer than 7 years after the case has come to an end or as otherwise required by law.
I do not intend to transfer data to any country which is not either within the European Union, or otherwise permitted by UK data protection legislation.
Under the UK GDPR, data subjects whose personal data I process have the right to request from me access to, and rectification or erasure of, their personal data, the right to the restriction of processing concerning them, the right to object to processing as well as the right to data portability. Data subjects also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ico.org.uk).
In cases where there is a contract between me and the data subject, the provision of personal data is a contractual requirement and the data subject is obliged to provide the personal data in order that I can supply legal services. A failure to provide such data may mean that I will not be able to provide those legal services.
Rev 2.1 03.11.2025
Catherine Collins is qualified to accept instructions direct from clients under the Bar Council’s Public Access Scheme. This means that members of the public who seek specialist advice can come direct to her. In addition, she welcomes instructions from solicitors, in-house law departments, qualified foreign lawyers, and clients licensed by the Bar Council to give instructions direct to barristers under the Bar Council’s Licensed Access Scheme.
For further information please contact our Clerks.
| Address | 3 Raymond Buildings, Gray’s Inn, London WC1R 5BH |
|---|---|
| DX | 237 LDE |
| Opening hours | 08:30 – 18:30 |
| Telephone | +44 (0)20 7400 6400 |
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| clerks@3rblaw.com | |
| Senior clerk | Catherine Collins |
