It is five years since the death of the great George Carman QC, a criminal silk turned libel star. At last someone is emerging who may be Carman’s successor. John Kelsey-Fry QC, a tenant at top criminal set Hollis Whiteman Chambers, has built a powerful criminal and fraud practice that has seen him act on a series of high-profile cases, including the Blue Arrow fraud trial and IRA terrorist prosecutions.
But in 2005 Kelsey-Fry began a Carmanesque move away from crime and into libel. He began by successfully defending the News of the World against the extraordinary libel claim brought by Romanian Alin Turcu, an alleged criminal who filed the case under an assumed name. Then in July, Kelsey-Fry appeared for Roman Polanski in the director’s defamation claim against Vanity Fair, again recording a verdict in favour of his client.
More libel cases are forthcoming, ensuring Kelsey-Fry has a rosy future in the defamation world.
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