PRASAD PALIHAWADANA
PARTNER - SOLICITOR
Prasad is a founding partner at Lloyds PR Solicitors. He is a highly sought-after criminal defence lawyer, specialising in human trafficking, modern slavery, county-line drugs and exploitation cases. Prasad is the head of the Police Station and the Magistrates’ Court departments at Lloyds PR Solicitors. He is also a supervisor for the VHCC (Very High Costs Cases) panel.
Prasad is a highly regarded criminal litigator who appears regularly at the police station for clients charged with serious offences. During lengthy police investigations, Prasad advises clients thoroughly and proactively seeks a successful conclusion to the investigation avoiding prosecution. Prasad has extensive following of Romanian and Bulgarian communities, as well as many others.
An expert who has been consulted by the BBC on the admissibility of evidence, Prasad is well placed to guide his colleagues through meticulous case preparation, ensuring that the evidence submitted against Lloyds PR clients is properly produced and served.
Prasad has had conduct over a number of high profile investigations prosecuted by agencies such as the National Crime Agency (‘NCA’), the Serious Fraud Office (‘SFO’), HM Revenue and Customs (‘HMRC’), the Financial Conduct Authority (‘FCA’) as well as the various branches of the Crown Prosecution Service. Prasad was admitted to the Roll of Solicitors In March 1996
Practice Areas
R v H, Southwark Crown Court
Conspiracy to convert criminal property.
R v Y, Exeter Crown Court
Money laundering.
Prasad has recently overseen a numerous modern slavery and trafficking cases, including Operation Kedah, an extensive conspiracy to keep women (trafficked from Romania) in prostitution, as well as Operation Cardinas, where he secured an acquittal for his client.
In 2021 Prasad brought in a case under Operation Gazania, where previously our lead defendant had been under police investigation for 2 years and subject to a very stringent ISTRO (An interim slavery and trafficking prevention order). She was then charged, alongside with two others, with conspiracy to control another for the purposes of labour exploitation, facilitating arraignment of travel for the purposes of exploitation and acquiring criminal property. This was an extremely large investigation where the prosecution tracked a number of witnesses in Romania and the served evidence was due to exceed 10,000 PPE. However, after the defence team making written representations and carefully structuring the defence statement to highlight the gaps in the prosecution evidence, the prosecution offered no evidence in this matter.
R v S, Guildhall Middlesex Crown Court
Human trafficking and prostitution.
In 2021 Prasad brought in a case under Operation Gazania, where previously our lead defendant had been under police investigation for 2 years and subject to a very stringent ISTRO (An interim slavery and trafficking prevention order). She was then charged, alongside with two others, with conspiracy to control another for the purposes of labour exploitation, facilitating arraignment of travel for the purposes of exploitation and acquiring criminal property. This was an extremely large investigation where the prosecution tracked a number of witnesses in Romania and the served evidence was due to exceed 10,000 PPE. However, after the defence team making written representations and carefully structuring the defence statement to highlight the gaps in the prosecution evidence, the prosecution offered no evidence in this matter.
R v S, Guildhall Middlesex Crown Court
Human trafficking and prostitution.
Throughout 2020 – 2022 Prasad was involved in the case of R v AE at Harrow Crown Court where we represented the lead defendant, in a four-defendant conspiracy to supply class A drugs. The case involved over 80,000 pages in evidence, particularly phone evidence, and necessitated the instruction of two counsel. Our client was a Thai lady that ran a defence under section 45 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. She was vulnerable and alleged that she was exploited by the other lead defendant. The case involved calling expert psychologist evidence, NRM evidence and a thorough examination of multiple phones. The case required an exceptional amount of work, particularly because all of the defendants were running cut-throat defences and due to this an enormous amount of unused was served during the trial, which mean the defence team had continuous amount of work throughout the trial. A careful and thought through preparation of the case lead to a unanimous acquittal of our client after 8 weeks at trial. As a result of this, the defence team were able to make written representations to the CPS on a Snaresbrook Crown Court case where the defendant still faced another trial, and no evidence was offered as a result.
Prasad is currently involved in Operation Rockwell, a large 33 co-defendant prosecution at Preston Crown Court. We represent one of the lead defendants. The prosecution allege that this was a well organised conspiracy where rental properties were identified for the cannabis farms and exploited, as well as various units used, and money laundered through various business. The evidence in this matter has reached over 500,000 PPE and includes extensive telephone and provider evidence for all defendants, banking evidence, forensic evidence, and other. The alleged value of this conspiracy is between £2 – 3 million.
R v B, Blackfriars Crown Court
Conspiracy to supply class A drugs.
R v T, Ipswich Crown Court
Importation of class A drugs.
R v N, Kingston Crown Court
Importation of class A drugs.
R v H, St Albans Crown Court
Importation of class A drugs.
R v S, St Albans Crown Court
Possession of class B with intent to supply.
R v T, Portsmouth Crown Court
Rape
R v V, Woolwich Crown Court
Rape of a minor
R v M, St Albans Crown Court
Rape of a minor in India
R v C, St Albans Crown Court
Rape
R v V, Isleworth Crown Court
Rape
R v K, Kingston Crown Court
Rape