Paul Dunkels Q.C.
Call: 1972 (Q.C. 1993)
Area of Practice:Criminal Law Barrister
A crime specialist, appears for Prosecution and Defence in all types of serious crime. A Recorder with a certificate to sit in crime and authorised to try serious sexual offences.
Paul prosecutes and defends in all types of serious crime, including cases of murder, manslaughter, fraud, drugs importation and sexual offences. He has been involved in prosecuting and defending many cases in which an infant has suffered a sudden and unexpected death. He has dealt with many murder cases, including those involving issues of causation, diminished responsibility, provocation and battered wife syndrome. Paul has appeared in cases of gross negligence manslaughter that have involved a tractor driver, the proprietor of a central heating company, the skipper of a boat, a farmer and the proprietor of an agency supplying HGV drivers.
Paul has prosecuted frauds for the Serious Fraud Office and have dealt with High Yield Investment Programme frauds, carousel frauds and money laundering.
He has been ranked in the Chambers Directory in the first division of Q.C.s practising in crime on the Western Circuit in every year since 2003. He is a door tenant at Albion Chambers in Bristol.
He has conducted numerous Advocacy courses overseas (Hong Kong, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Tanzania) and judged moots at Exeter University.
Cases of Note:
R -v- M & others.  2 Cr. App. R. 266. The Prosecution of a multi generation paedophile ring involving 9 Defendants and trials lasting 5 months.
R -v- C  2 Cr. App. R. 7, R – v – A, R – v – J and R – v – P, the prosecution of mothers alleged to have murdered their children.
R -v- R. Prosecuting a murder where the body of the teenage girl victim has never been found.
R -v- G & others. Defending the finance director of a shipping company who was prosecuted by the SFO for fraud.
R - v- M & others. Defending in a large scale importation of heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, and firearms.
R -v- M & others. Prosecuting the director of a company for gross negligence manslaughter following the death of an apprentice in an explosion at a factory.
R -v- M & others and R-v- M & others. Defending in a fatal gangland shootings in public houses in the North of England.
R -v- S. Defending in an” honour killing” where one brother shot another with a semi-automatic weapon following a dispute over an arranged marriage.
R -v- R & others. The prosecution of former directors of Exeter City Football Club for fraudulent trading and Companies Act offences.
R -v- B. Defending a father alleged to have killed his baby by shaking him or throwing him down - "shaken baby syndrome" medical issues.
R -v- H. Defending a barrister charged with perverting the course of justice after he produced a false legal authority in a Family Case.
R -v-M & others. Defending one of a gang charged with conspiracy to burgle where high value antiques in large houses were targeted. The value of the antiques said to have been stolen in the series of burglaries was well in excess of £20 million.
R -v- W. Prosecution of a care home worker for sexual offences committed against residents who were severely disabled. Two of the complainants had cerebral palsy. One was only able to communicate through a "Tellus 3 Communicator" and the other only by eye movements that were interpreted by an intermediary.
R -v- P. Prosecuting a man for murdering his wife when, at the time of the trial, no trace of her body had been found. Following his conviction, the Defendant admitted the murder and showed the police where he had buried his wife’s body.
R. –v- C, L & H. Prosecuting 3 Defendants for manslaughter when they had pushed a lit firework through the letter box of a house with the result that the house caught fire and the occupant died.
Assistant Recorder – 1985
Crown Court Recorder - 1988
Queens Counsel – 1993
Paul is accredited to accept instructions on a Public Access basis.