The Administrative Court (Foxton J) has upheld a Coroner’s decision not to leave critical findings against the police made by a Coroner investigating the circumstances in which Sabina Rizvi came by her death following a shooting near Bexleyheath police station in SE London. SR was shot and killed and her boyfriend gravely injured when gunmen shot at their car following a dispute with a local criminal, Paul Asbury, who was subsequently convicted of SR’s murder. The Court concluded, albeit at the permission stage, that the Coroner had applied the correct test for leaving findings of fact to a jury in an Article 2 inquest namely whether there was sufficient evidence to support them, applying the well known criminal authority of R v Galbraith [1981] 1 WLR 1039, not whether any such findings were arguable.

The judgment can be found here.

Kevin Baumber acted for the two principal police officers
Cecily White acted for the Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis

Laura Bramall has written a blog about the case. See here.

On 22 May 2017 the terrorist Salman Abedi detonated a bomb in Manchester Arena complex at the end of an Ariana Grande concert. The bombing involved the murder of 22 people and resulted in personal injury and psychological injury to many more.

Over 350 bereaved families and survivors intimated civil and human rights claims against SMG (who operated the Arena), Showsec (who provided event security), British Transport Police (who provided policing on the night of the bombing) and Greater Manchester Police (who provided counter terrorism security advice in the years prior to the bombing).

Those claims were compromised in a global settlement on 16 December 2025.

The settlements in the 16 claims requiring approval were approved by HHJ Bird sitting as a High Court Judge in Manchester in hearings on 17-18 December 2025 which James Berry KC appeared in.

An agreed press statement can be found here.

The case has attracted media coverage including, please see here and here.

John Beggs KC, James Berry KC and Cecily White acted for Greater Manchester Police in these mass claims.

Dr A, a prominent consultant in a leading teaching hospital, faced an allegation that he conducted a sexually motivated examination of a young female patient. None of the disputed facts was found proved. Accordingly, there was no finding of misconduct/impairment.

Dr A was represented by Andrew Hockton, instructed by Alistair Hewitt and Saima Haq of Weightmans.

Over a three-week period, four members of Chambers have appeared in R (A Child). Described by the Court of Appeal as  “utterly heartbreaking”  the case concerned whether a 12-year-old child receiving intensive care in hospital should be declared dead. Four urgent hearings were held in three weeks starting in the High Court on 7 November.

On 19 November, the Court of Appeal set aside the first-instance decision, due to procedural unfairness, after accepting a key ground of appeal that:

• the hearing was procedurally unfair because R’s parents (who were not legally represented) had no feasible opportunity to read the medical records, understand the legal issues, adduce evidence, or prepare to question witnesses, when the urgency did not preclude an adjournment.

Although the Court of Appeal dd not agree that the child should have been joined as a party and represented by CAFCASS “as the court was not engaged in a best interests decision” the case was then sent back to the High Court.   Hayden J reached a final decision on 27 November 2025, declaring the child to be dead [2025] EWHC 3140.   The Court of Appeal developed the principles established in Re A (Withdrawal of Treatment: Legal Representation) [2022] EWCA Civ 1221; [2023] 1 FLR 713, a case in which David Lawson also appeared.

Claire Watson KC, represented Barts Health NHS Trust, instructed by Bevan Brittan LLP.

The child’s parents were represented by Katie Gollop KC, Bridget Dolan KC, and David Lawson each at different stages of the application, all instructed by Irwin Mitchell.

For the judgments, please see here and here.

On 4th December 2025 the Chair of the Dawn Sturgess Inquiry, Lord Hughes, published the report of his inquiry.

Lord Hughes concluded that:

• Dawn Sturgess died on 8 July 2018 as a result of being poisoned by Novichok.
• The same nerve agent had been used in an attempt to assassinate  Sergei Skripal (a former GRU officer) on 4 March 2018 in Salisbury.
• The assassination attempt had been carried out by members of the Russian GRU and  authorised at the highest in Russia, by President Putin.
• The GRU members had recklessly discarded the bottle of Novichok which they had used to carry out the attack. The bottle – disguised as perfume – was picked up by Dawn’s boyfriend and given to her. She had put its contents onto her skin and been fatally poisoned.
• Dawn’s injuries were unsurvivable.
• There were no steps that the British state ought to have taken that would avoided the poisonings of Mr Skripal or of Dawn.

The Inquiry’s report can be read here.

John Beggs KC and James Berry KC appeared for the Chief Constable of Wiltshire Police.

Bridget Dolan KC appeared for South West Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust.

In R (Chief Police Officers’ Staff Association) v Police, Fire and Rescue and Crime Commissioner for Staffordshire [2025] EWHC 3047 (Admin), Elliot Gold appeared successfully for the Chief Police Officers’ Staff Association (CPOSA) in persuading the High Court that a Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) has no power to appoint a temporary chief constable.

The judgment has a significant impact on the future appointment of chief constables. In summary:

– A PCC has no power to appoint a temporary chief constable;

– A PCC may only appoint a chief constable after following the full statutory process at Police and Reform Social Responsibility Act 2011 s.38 and sch. 8;

– The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 contains no alternative or implied process for appointment;

– When a chief constable is absent due to suspension or incapacity, a Deputy Chief Constable or designated Assistant Chief Constable becomes the acting chief constable without any act or decision of the PCC, pursuant to Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 s.41.

This does not affect the power of a PCC to require a suspended Chief Constable to resign or retire by following the separate statutory procedure at Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 s.38 and sch. 8. The court acknowledged, on the basis of a submission made by Elliot, that existing temporary chief constables might be regarded as de facto office holders but that any future appointments would be unlawful.

Elliot practises in all areas of police law, including police pay, pensions, powers, policy and misconduct. He is a contributing author to the annual Blackstone’s Police Manual.

Dijen Basu KC acted for the Interested Party Deputy Chief Constable Riggs.

John Beggs KC and Aaron Rathmell acted for the Defendant – the Police Fire & Rescue and Crime Commissioner for Staffordshire.

The judgment is here.