Samuel Jones

Sam is an established and well regarded regulatory practitioner; his experience extends to both prosecution and defence work. He is instructed in cases of all categories and at all levels of seriousness, from appeals work through to trial and sentencing (in the Magistrates’ Court, the Crown Court and the Appellate Courts).

He has been on the list of Specialist Regulatory Advocates in Health and Safety and Environmental Law for a number of years and is frequently instructed to take on health and safety prosecution work. As a level A prosecutor, he has experience of prosecuting fatalities, in particular arising from accidents at work and of prosecuting very large organisations.

He is also routinely instructed privately to defend corporate and individual clients facing prosecution for such offences.

In the context of his Health and Safety work, Sam is noted for “the quality of his advocacy, written work and advice which belie his years. He performs and punches above his weight”. He has been consistently ranked in this area in Chambers and Partners where he has been described as ‘very cool and confident’ when dealing with cases of this sort and ‘extremely capable, in every sense’.

Sam also undertakes work in various other areas of regulatory practice; he is frequently instructed by the Fire and Rescue Authority to prosecute offences concerning breaches of Fire Safety Regulations. He also prosecutes on behalf of the Architects Registration Board and the Welfare, Rural and Health Division of the Crown Prosecution Service. He also undertakes food hygiene and safety work and acts in cases involving alleged Trading Standards breaches. He also has particular experience in defending companies charged with offences arising out of the New Roads and Street Works Act in the context of construction and street works.

Featured Health & Safety cases

R v IR MJ TL (2024)

Junior Prosecution Counsel in Gross Negligence Manslaughter case. A roofing company and its two director

HSE v ET Ltd (2024)

Prosecution Counsel in a prosecution arising out of serious injuries caused during the delivery of pallets by a logistics firm.

SCC v VM and NX (2024)

Streets Works Offences – Sam was instructed to represent Virgin Media who were facing prosecution for multiple breaches of the Street Works Regulations across the South West. Sam had previously represented the company for alleged offences in London. The case concluded with a relatively modest fine being imposed by the District Judge who dealt with the case. Sam has also been instructed to defend other telecommunications in the context of breaches of the Street Works Regulations.

SCC v L (2024)

Sam was instructed to represent a company and its director charged with breaches of the Gas Safety Regulations.

HSE v NCC (2023)

HSE Prosecution – Health and Safety at Work Act offences – Sam was instructed to prosecute on behalf of the HSE. The defendants were a Local Authority – Newport County Council. The case involved the causing of the death of a street worker as he carried out road works on a road running under the M4 motorway. Tragically, the road worker was struck by a passing vehicle and killed. The works were poorly planned and supervised with evidence of multiple breaches of the Health and Safety Regulations. The case resulted in a significant fine being imposed on the local authority (£2m) – one of the largest of its kind in 2023.

HSE v LFH, R and Q (2023)

Health and Safety at Work Act offences – Sam was instructed to prosecute on behalf of the HSE . There were three defendants – all connected to a construction project at a well known hotel on the Dorset coast. The Client, Principal Contractor and Principal Designer were prosecuted for failings under the CDM Regulations in connection with roof works carried out at the hotel. The decision was made to keep the hotel open during the works. Tragically, a young girl (just 3 years of age) was struck on the head by a slate tile which fell from the works being conducted above. She received very serious and significant injuries. One defendant pleaded and the two remaining defendants were convicted after a four week trial at Bournemouth Crown Court.

HSE v TB (2023)

Health and Safety at Work Act offences – Sam was instructed to prosecute on behalf of the HSE . The defendant ran an ionising radiation operation in Cornwall. Following years of investigation, the HSE found that employees were being put at risk of exposure to high doses of ionising radiation by the company’s reliance on administrative controls rather than installing industry standard engineering controls. The company pleaded guilty on a basis of plea and received a substantial fine.

SBC v XPO (2023)

Sam was instructed to prosecute GXO, the food distributor with a turn over of over £1 billion for health and safety breaches at their distribution plant in Swindon. Instructed by Swindon Borough Council, Sam prosecuted the company for multiple offence for multiple failings of health and safety regulations. The case involved a serious accident in which a member of staff was trapped between a vehicle and a cage at one of their warehouses. She sustained serious injuries. The resulting investigation uncovered evidence of health and safety breaches, including multiple other accidents which the company had failed to report (as they were required to) to the local authority. The company entered guilty pleas and received a substantial fine of £125,000.

R v KY, SS & Others (2022)

Junior Prosecution Counsel in Gross Negligence Manslaughter case. Twelve defendants (seven at trial) prosecuted in relation to a fatality on a demolition site.

NSC v JFL (2022)

Sam was instructed to defend a large multi-national company in a prosecution arising from street works carried out across the Southwest. The offences related to planned construction projects which were undertaken otherwise than in accordance with the regulations.

R v SM (2021)

Prosecution Counsel in a prosecution arising out of fatality at a Sawmill.

HSE v G (2020)

Sam was instructed to defend in a high profile HSE prosecution of a car manufacturing company arising out of an incident at one of their plants in South Wales. An employee sustained a serious injury to his hand in a work-related accident.

TBC v S

Sam was instructed to defend a well-known jeweller company for offences relating to unfair trade practices. Following various legal submissions and a carefully considered basis of plea, the ultimate sentencing court took a proportionate approach to the final financial penalty imposed.

R v L

Sam is frequently instructed by the HSE to prosecute cases involving gas safety. He recently prosecuted a plumber for serious gas safety failings at a property where he conducted unregistered gas work in Cornwall. The case involved a gas leak caused by the defendant which had caused some injury to the occupants of a property where the defendant was conducting pipe work. On conviction he received a prison sentence.

AFA v C, F & Z

Sam is frequently instructed by the Avon Fire Authority to prosecute breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. He has an established reputation for prosecuting cases of this sort, having done so, consistently and successfully, over the last 5 years. In a recent case Sam prosecuted a business which was fined £94,000 for letting workers sleep overnight at the premises without checking it was safe. In another case the Manager of a Bristol restaurant received a prison sentence for a series of serious fire safety breaches.