Andrew Locke successfully represents claimant in contempt proceedings arising from breach of freezing injunction

Andrew Locke successfully represented the claimant in contested committal proceedings against a defendant who breached a freezing injunction by converting £550,000 of house sale proceeds into gold coins and transferring them onwards in an attempt to evade enforcement.

The dispute arose from long-running litigation between half-brothers concerning UK property forming part of their late father’s estate. Following substantial costs orders in the claimant’s favour, the defendant sold the property and transferred the proceeds into gold bullion shortly before a freezing injunction was granted. The claimant alleged the defendant subsequently collected and transferred a second tranche of coins after the injunction came into force and relied on altered invoices intended to conceal the timing of collection.

Following a two-day hearing, Recorder Chelmick accepted the claimant’s case that the alleged onward sale created no proprietary interest in the coins, which therefore remained the defendant’s assets for the purposes of the injunction. The court further found that the invoice had been altered to evade the order and that the collection and onward transfer of the coins amounted to “dealing with” assets in breach of the injunction. The defendant was accordingly found in contempt of court. Sentencing has been adjourned to 26 June 2026.

Andrew was instructed in both the freezing injunction and contempt proceedings by Tasneem Raza of Alexander Shaw Solicitors.