William Paynter

After eight successful years as an independent barrister at 1 Gray’s Inn Square, William joined Lansbury Worthington in 2011. In 2022 he returned to Chambers at 15 New Bridge Street. He continues to be a consultant with and mainstay of Crown Court advocacy at Lansbury Worthington, with notable major successes this year.
William has experience in many different areas of criminal law and has practised at all levels of the criminal courts system.

Notable Cases

• 2022 - Mr Paynter secured a not guilty verdict for a client who was accused of perverting the course of justice after it was alleged she had called a taxi to knowingly help another defendant flee the scene of a murder

• 2022 - Mr Paynter represented a client accused of a 285kg cocaine importation – a large, multi-national investigation by the National Crime Agency. He was found not guilty at trial, despite incriminating fingerprints being found on multiple items including the cardboard within the crates containing the drugs, on false delivery paperwork and on the shrink-wrap that had been used to seal the crates. An expert defence witness was used to challenge the findings of the NCA fingerprint experts. There was also close scrutiny of and challenge made to all other aspects of the case

• 2022 – Cannabis factory case. Mr Paynter represented a defendant accused of being involved in running a £1m cannabis factory in North London. The Jury at trial could not be sure of his guilty and the Crown did not pursue a re-trial so a not guilty verdict was recorded

• 2021 – Mr Paynter represented a defendant is a large firearms and drugs importation case. The defendant was found not guilty of one conspiracy but convicted of another. The Crown sought a sentence of 20 years but it was kept down to 8 years. The Attorney General appealed (referenced) the sentence but Mr Paynter successfully argued at the Court of Appeal that it should not be raised

• 2021 – Mr Paynter secured a not guilty verdict at trial for a young man accused of sexually assaulting his step-sister several years earlier. This involved delicate cross-examination of a young witness whose evidence was tape recorded in advance of the trial

• 2020 – A not guilty verdict was obtained in a large ‘car ringing’ conspiracy case for a defendant said to have acted as a look-out

• 2019 – A not guilty verdict was obtained for a client accused of assaulting his wife (having accepted earlier lacing her food with sleeping pills)

Education and Professional Qualifications

William was called to the Bar in 2002