Oliver Saxby was educated at Eton College and Southampton University. He was called to the Bar by the Inner Temple and was a Duke of Edinburgh Scholar.

He has an extensive criminal practice with an emphasis on defending and prosecuting those charged with the most serious of offences, specifically murder, manslaughter and rape. He has been instructed to prosecute or defend, either as junior counsel or, more recently, as leading counsel, in numerous cases of murder, attempted murder and manslaughter covering the full spectrum of issues including gross negligence manslaughter, baby shaking, bite mark evidence, causation, neuropathology (Al Sarraj/Nicholls), DNA evidence, blood spatter, provocation, self-defence, diminished responsibility and insanity.

He also has particular experience in cases involving allegations of fraud, facilitating illegal entry, duty evasion and drugs smuggling.

Cases reported in the current edition of Archbold include:

• R v Dolan (murder, baby shaking - admissibility of 'background evidence')
• R v Harmer (drugs importation - extent of defence of duress)
• R v Van Binh Le (guideline case on facilitating illegal entry)
• R v Mills (drugs importation - bearing of jury's opinion on sentence)

Recent cases of interest include:

• R v Uptas, 2010 (prosecuting, as leading counsel, man charged with murdering his partner by strangulation - issues, fibre evidence/identity of killer)
• R v Smith, 2010 (defending, as leading counsel, man charged with attempted murder by shooting - issues, self-defence and accident)
• R v Flippence, 2010 (defending man charged with attempting to murder his ex-girlfriend - issues, self-defence and lack of intent)
• R v Fender, 2010 (defending man charged with murdering his partner - issue, provocation and lack of intent)
• R v Nuredini, 2010 (defending, as leading counsel, one of a number of men charged with involvement in a large scale immigration conspiracy - issue, knowing participation)
• R v Eggleton, 2010 (briefed to prosecute, and advised, on bus driver charged with murder - issue, standard of driving/intent)
• R v Alberto, 2010 (defending man charged with murdering an acquaintance - issue, identity/DNA/footmark evidence)
• R v Rana, 2010 (prosecuting man charged with double attempted murder - historic allegation dating back to 1996 - defendant extradited from USA - issue, intent)
• R v Manuel, 2009 (defending man charged with murder by stabbing Ð issues, self-defence, provocation)
• R v Fitzgerald, 2009 (defending, as leading counsel, one of two men charged with substantial conspiracy to supply amphetamine - issue, participation)
• R v Deadman, 2009 (prosecuting as leading counsel, man charged with murdering an acquaintance - issue, participation)
• R v MacDonald, 2009 (defending man charged with historic sexual abuse on multiple complainants - issue, credibility of witnesses)
• R v Claydon, 2009 (defending man charged with importing 120k of cocaine at 100% purity)
• R v Twyman, 2008 (defending, as leading counsel, man charged with murdering his grandmother on Christmas Day - issue, diminished responsibility)
• R v Lumpkin, 2008 (prosecuting, as leading counsel, man charged with murdering his brother - issue, provocation)
• R v Shelbourne and Eames, 2008 (prosecuting, as leading counsel, two men charged with the murder of an acquaintance of theirs - issue, participation)
• R v Romero, 2008 (defending, as leading counsel, man charged with attempting to murder his girlfriend - issue, insanity)
• R v Quartey, 2008 (defending man charged with murdering his guardian, a consultant paediatrician - issue, identity of killer)
• R v Hart, 2008 (defending woman charged jointly with another of murdering an acquaintance of theirs - body never discovered)
• R v Cosier, 2008 (prosecuting man charged with the oral rape of an 18 month old baby)
• R v Delima, 2008 (defending one of a number of young men charged with murdering a man who had remonstrated with them for burgling his address)
• R v Hubble, 2007 (defending a seaman charged with the manslaughter by gross negligence of 3 young men whose yacht had been mown down in the Solent by a ferry, the Pride of Bilbao)
• R v Herd, 2007 (defending man charged with murder of his wife - issue, provocation)
• R v Shaw, 2007 (defending, as leading counsel, one of a number of men charged with wide-scale vehicle ringing)
• R v Martin, 2007 (defending man charged with murdering an acquaintance of his in Spain - body never discovered)

He is a past Junior of the Kent Bar Mess.