KB-2024-001295 - [2025] EWHC 3000 (KB)

By a claim form sealed on 4 April 2024, the Claimant, the Director of Public Prosecutions, seeks a civil recovery order under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (“POCA”), s.243(1). The three Defendants are Joseph O’Connor (“D1”), Keir Holme (“D2”) and Kyle Lomax (“D2”).

The claim relates to cryptocurrency held in the following accounts:

The contents of these accounts is together referred to for the purposes of this claim as “the Property”. Its value was estimated in April 2024 at £3,085,039.92. As at the date of the final hearing of the claim before me, on 11 November 2025, its value was estimated at £4,135,949.11. The Claimant’s case is that the Property has been obtained through unlawful conduct.

At the end of the hearing on 9 June 2025 I indicated that I would make the order sought by the Claimant, with reasons to follow.

It became necessary to delay circulation of the draft judgment giving those reasons and conduct a further hearing for the reasons explained at [86]-[90] below. This took place on 11 November 2025.

At the end of that hearing I repeated that I would make the order sought by the Claimant. By this point the terms of the order had been agreed between the Claimant and the First Defendant, after considerable constructive liaison between those parties. I was also greatly assisted by the input of both Mr Pons and Mr Lennon KC. These are my reasons for making the order.