Specialist in Business Crime and regulation. In her former role as Head of the Special Crime Division at the Crown Prosecution Service, Carmen had responsibility for all UK extradition cases, as well as many of the most high profile and complex investigations in the UK in recent years, including corporate manslaughter, corruption and offences relating to elections.
Having joined the CPS in 1990 as a Legal Trainee, Carmen completed her pupillage and was designated a Crown Prosecutor, dealing with all aspects of prosecution casework.
After moving to CPS HQ in 1997, Carmen dealt with the most serious and complex cases, representing foreign states in extradition and dealing with mutual legal assistance. Between 1999-2002 she led the team responsible for (amongst other sensitive cases) all terrorist cases for the CPS.
Carmen acted as legal adviser to the Attorney General from 2002-2005, dealing in particular with the Attorney General's powers under Section 13 of the Coroners Courts Act 1988, disclosure, contempt of court and victim and witness issues.
In 2005 Carmen was appointed Head of the CPS Special Crime Division. She had responsibility for all cases involving issues of corporate manslaughter, extradition, deaths in police custody, serious public corruption and offences relating to elections.
Carmen’s noteworthy cases include the Posthumous appeal of Derek Bentley (whose original conviction was depicted in the film “Let Him Have it”); Operation Cathedral – involving the first (quite possibly the only) internationally coordinated arrests of suspects for paedophilia on the internet; the prosecution of Lord Archer for perjury; the prosecution of the Royal Editor of the News of the World for accessing voicemail messages of members of the Royal Household and the so called “Cash for Honours” enquiry.
Carmen joined Peters & Peters’ Fraud and Regulatory department in August 2008. She advises on corporate manslaughter, corruption and extradition cases as well as other aspects of business crime and regulation.