Case Study

Phil Middlemiss Case Study: From One Of The World’s Most Wanted Men to Zero Charges

Author Alt Tag

Holborn Adams

January 17, 2025


In 2020, Airbus admitted to violating anti-bribery laws in several countries while pursuing sales of aircraft and military equipment.

But how did Phil Middlemiss, former Coronation Street actor, get embroiled in the Airbus saga?

The following case study explores how Phil Middlemiss went from soap star to scandal, and how Holborn Adams fought to free him from the investigation with absolutely no charges.

Middlemiss’s work with Airbus

In 2009, Middlemiss began working on a film project and was interested in scouting out locations and facilities to film in Ghana. Guided by a long-time British-Ghanaian friend, he visited Ghana multiple times.

The film project didn’t come to fruition, but Middlemiss saw that there were other business ventures he could pursue in the country. These included a drama school and performing arts centre, a glass factory, a boutique hotel, and a theme park. Whilst pursuing these opportunities, Middlemiss made many contacts in various Ghanaian Governmental departments.

In early 2010, Airbus sought Middlemiss’s help with their £50 million sale of three C-295 military planes to the Ghanaian government. They offered him commission for his assistance.

Middlemiss’s role was to help arrange visas, transport, and hotels for Airbus staff, and facilitate meetings.

Following the successful sale of the planes, Middlemiss received his promised commission and his contact with Airbus ended in 2014.

 

The investigations begin

The UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and France’s Parquet National Financier (PNF) were made aware of the suspicious use of third-party agents (like Middlemiss) in the sale.

Airbus was found guilty of several offences, including corruption and bribery, and in 2020, paid one of the largest bribery settlements in history to UK, US, and French authorities (totalling 3.6 billion Euros).

Attention was then drawn to the intermediaries used, like Middlemiss.

In 2019, Middlemiss received a letter from the UK Serious Fraud Office (SFO) informing him he was under suspicion of bribery and corruption – an offence that carries a 25 year prison sentence. He was invited to a voluntary interview under caution.

Middlemiss recalls: “It was a total shock. Not exactly a letter I was expecting.”

The interview never actually took place, but he remained under investigation, not only by the SFO, but by Ghanaian authorities. Interpol issued a “Red Notice” (a request to locate and arrest an individual) on Middlemiss. In the document, his personal information was published, such as his passport details, his address, and even that he might be travelling under the alias “Des Barnes” (his Coronation Street character’s name).

For a year, Middlemiss was frustrated with the lack of progress his solicitors were making to prove his innocence. His reputation was in jeopardy, he was unable to secure work, his family were under a great deal of stress, and he was forced to move into rented accommodation as his home was repossessed.

So, he turned to Holborn Adams in the hope that they would turn things around for him.

He said, “After a year of getting nowhere with the legal team I’d hired, I was depressed and getting frustrated as the charges were still hanging over my head. I was then fortunate enough to meet Adam Rasul and his team at Holborn Adams. They told me about pre-charge service, which they were pioneers of. It was something I’d never heard of.”

 

Instructing Holborn Adams

Middlemiss instructed Adam Rasul of Holborn Adams to represent him. It was at this point, for the first time, that he learned of the concept of “pre-charge engagement”, where your solicitors build and present a case to investigators that proves your innocence, with the hope that the case will be dropped with no charges made.

“Holborn Adams had an immediate, swift, and proactive approach, their motto being ‘prevention is better than cure’. To be honest, they achieved more in one week than my [previous] law firm achieved in the last year,” Middlemiss raved.

Holborn Adams built a strong case to prove why Middlemiss should walk free with no charges. Two years on from the initial letter from the SFO, they achieved exactly that. Middlemiss was informed by the SFO that they will not be prosecuting him and the case against him is closed.

 

Future civil case

Middlemiss noted that “The relief was short-lived and overtaken by anger. Why had I been left for that amount of time with no contact or explanation?”

Rasul advised Middlemiss to take legal action against the SFO to pursue a claim for damages. Middlemiss’s life has been turned upside down by the allegations against him. Despite the case being dismissed, his reputation has been tainted, so seeking acting work is more difficult terrain. He has had to seek support from a psychiatrist for suspected post-traumatic stress disorder. His home was repossessed and he had to move into rented accommodation. His family has been put under an immense amount of emotional strain as a result of the false allegations.

Rasul noted, “The poor investigation by the SFO and subsequent no further action has had a catastrophic impact on Mr Middlemiss. We are advising him on an action against the SFO along with civil remedies that include psychological/psychiatric damage.”

 

Conclusion

Middlemiss’s case sounds like it could be a fanciful plot line from his days playing Des Barnes on Coronation Street. But these allegations, however bizarre, were very real and very severe. Pre-charge engagement was the key to Middlemiss’s freedom.

Holborn Adams are pre-charge pioneers, and believe that early intervention is crucial to avoid unnecessary emotional upheaval caused by lengthy investigations, especially in cases where the accused is innocent. Middlemiss now begins a road to fight for justice for the false allegations against him. At Holborn Adams, we are proud of the outcome we secured for Middlemiss, and we look forward to reaping positive results with any future civil case against the SFO.

If you are facing potential charges for a crime, please contact our pre-charge solicitors today.


Holborn Adams

Similar articles you might like

News

Adam Rasul: The ‘Mr Fix It’ of the legal profession.

Founder and Senior Partner of Holborn Adams has worked his way to the top from very humble beginnings, es...

Authour Alt Tag

News

Holborn Adams on Panorama ‘Most Wanted’

Holborn Adams have a phenomenal reputation for Pre-Charge and Police Station representation The individua...

Authour Alt Tag