Rupert Taylor

Practice area

• Serious crime

What others say

‘Very experienced across the spectrum of heavyweight criminal matters’

Legal 500 2018 Leading Juniors

Profile

Rupert is a highly accomplished criminal defence specialist. Over the past 30 years, he has built up a formidable practice in the South West, regularly instructed to defend the most serious crimes. Such is his reputation that, for some years now, he has been in demand nationwide regularly travelling to Swansea, Newcastle, Leeds, Stafford, London, York, Lewis and Chester Crown Courts.  Rupert is always prepared to travel to suit his clients and prides himself on being available for conferences, whether by telephone, video-link or in person to assist solicitors in the full preparation of the case

He is well liked for his calm and approachable manner with clients. He has a rapid grasp of the strengths and weaknesses of a case and delivers sound advice on the merits. In court, he is admired for his incisive cross-examination and persuasive speeches to the jury. He has a particular skill when it comes to questioning vulnerable witnesses.

Rupert is authorised to undertake work in accordance with the Public Access Scheme, which means that members of the public can instruct Rupert directly.

Rupert is regulated by the Bar Standards Board.

Recent Cases

• R v E (2021). Rupert defended the client against numerous counts of sexual offending against step-children and own children. Numerous counts of child cruelty.
• R v H (2021). Instructed in a rape and sexual assault case against four children who were all members of the same family.
• R v K (2021). Sexual abuse of a 10 year old and a 23 year old woman at the same time.
• R v F (2020). Instructed in a historic sexual abuse case against an adult with severe learning and communication difficulties.
• R v G (Operation Mainstream). (2020). Attempted murder and conspiracy to supply cocaine.
• R v O (2020). Defended client charged with incitement of racial and religious hatred.
• R v B (2020). Rupert was instructed in a complex case involving online offences of causing a mother to sexually abuse her child for money in foreign jurisdictions as well as physical sexual abuse of children in the UK and online child abuse images.
• R v P (2020). Historic sexual abuse of recruits in the British armed forces in the 1970s.
• R v H (2020). Defendant doing acts tending and intended to pervert the course of public justice. Administering a poison or noxious substance so as to endanger life.  The defendant administered class A drugs to his girlfriend who subsequently died. The defendant made an improvised body bag out of an air bed and hid the body from the police.
• R v S (2019). Downloading extreme images of child sexual abuse by a former member of the British Armed Forces.