Matthew Holdcroft

Call 1998

Matthew Holdcroft | Call 1998

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Overview

Matthew is a leading junior who specialises in public law, with a particular emphasis on the police. He is ranked Band 1 for police law by Chambers and Partners and as a Leading Junior by the Legal 500. He is instructed across the full range of police work – civil claims, misconduct and disciplinary proceedings, inquests and public inquiries, and judicial review – and acts for chief constables and police forces, the NHS and other public bodies.

High-profile work includes the Court of Appeal’s leading decision on police liability for failures to protect, Chief Constable of Northamptonshire v Woodcock [2025] EWCA Civ 13; the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse and the Undercover Policing Inquiry; the Hillsborough inquests; and the disciplinary proceedings arising from Plebgate, Kingsley Burrell and the death of Ian Tomlinson

“Clear, tactical advice and calm under pressure. Clients are always impressed with him and like his confident and engaging manner.”

The Legal 500

“Balanced and measured — my clients really trust him. The cases will be presented in a way they can understand.”

Chambers and Partners

Recent Notable Cases

Jones v Chief Constable of Essex Police [2026] EWHC 129 (KB)  —  Acting for the Chief Constable (against leading counsel). The High Court set aside the permission an offender-claimant had obtained under s.329 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 to bring an assault claim arising from an armed-response arrest, holding there was no realistic prospect of establishing that the force used was grossly disproportionate.

Searson v Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire Police [2025] EWHC 1982 (KB)  —  Acting for the Chief Constable on a reported appeal concerning the duty to review detention under s.40 PACE. Although one ground succeeded, the claimant recovered only nominal damages of £1, the court holding that a lawful review would have resulted in continued detention.

Chief Constable of Northamptonshire v Woodcock; CJ and others v Chief Constable of Wiltshire [2025] EWCA Civ 13  —  Court of Appeal. Acting (with Cecily White, led by Andrew Warnock KC) for the successful chief constables in conjoined appeals on police liability in negligence and under Article 3 for failures to protect against the criminal acts of a third party — a leading application of Tindall v Chief Constable of Thames Valley [2024] UKSC 33.

R (Dalton) v Chair of the Police Appeals Tribunal [2024] EWHC 1116 (Admin)  —  Acting for the Chief Constable of Hertfordshire (interested party). The Administrative Court refused the former officer’s challenge to the Police Appeals Tribunal’s decision upholding his dismissal.

Recommendations

Matthew is ranked as a leading junior by both independent legal directories for police law and professional discipline.

Chambers UK Bar 2026: Band 1 – Police Law (Mainly Defendant) · Band 3 – Professional Discipline · Band 4 – Inquests & Public Inquiries.
Legal 500 2026: Leading Junior – Police law (forces and constables), Tier 2 · Inquests and inquiries, Tier 4.

Recent client and directory comment includes:

  • “Excellent with clients and witnesses, putting them at ease … he has the knowledge and expertise to handle their case efficiently and effectively.” Chambers and Partners
  • “It is always enjoyable working with Matthew, even in challenging cases … his judgement in dealing with complex claims is something I can rely on.” Chambers and Partners
  • “He’s excellent on professional discipline work — very responsive and genuinely feels like part of our team.” Chambers and Partners
  • “A barrister who can be quite devastating in cross-examination — you know the witnesses will be getting a thorough questioning.” Chambers and Partners
  • “Surgical and focused on the key issues, with a persuasive style.”
  • “An excellent grasp of the practical consequences inquests have for day-to-day policing.”
  • “Tactically astute; cuts through the detail to get to the heart of the issues.”
  • “A really safe pair of hands in handling the more difficult cases.”

Experience and expertise

Police

Matthew’s police practice covers every aspect of police law. Chambers and Partners notes that he “defends human rights claims arising from the police’s failure to investigate, in addition to claims regarding negligence, human rights breaches and misfeasance in public office”, and is “noted for his strength in police disciplinary hearings”.

Civil actions

Matthew is regularly instructed in civil claims alleging unlawful arrest, assault, malicious prosecution, misfeasance in public office and discrimination, together with employers’ liability claims. He is known for teasing out the central issues and for a clear tactical overview in managing litigation — particularly where a civil claim runs in parallel with other proceedings.

Professional discipline

Chambers and Partners describes Matthew as “a dynamic barrister who is well known for his representation of police forces in disciplinary hearings”, offering “strong expertise in matters involving the use of excessive force and assault”. He regularly acts as presenting officer in police misconduct proceedings, including Senior Officer Proceedings and Special Case Hearings (fast-track), and has dealt with the full range of allegations, from misuse of social media and the Police National Computer to serious assault and the conduct of officers towards vulnerable people. He appears regularly before the Police Appeals Tribunal and in associated judicial review. He also has extensive experience of discipline in other professions, including for the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Bar Council of England and Wales.

Public and administrative law

Matthew is regularly instructed in judicial review across police misconduct, disclosure and enhanced criminal record certificates, funding and costs, and the legality of arrests, searches, investigations and detention. Reported examples include:

Inquests and inquiries

Chambers and Partners describes Matthew as “a thoroughly modern barrister who can be relied upon to find the right tone in the most sensitive cases” and “a firm favourite of police forces” who also represents the NHS in high-profile inquests and public inquiries. He has been instructed in some of the most significant inquests of recent years, including the 2014–16 Hillsborough inquests, in which he represented South Yorkshire Police. He represents the police in inquests arising from deaths in custody or police contact, and appears for parties to fatal accident claims, including the NHS.

Personal injury

Matthew acts for both claimants and defendants in personal injury and fatal accident claims arising from workplace, road traffic and holiday accidents, and under the Highways Act and the Occupiers’ Liability Acts. His practice includes catastrophic injury, and he has acted for Marks & Spencer, Tesco, Asda, Sports Direct and C2C. He accepts instructions under conditional fee agreements.

Advisory

Matthew advises forces on a pre-emptive basis across the whole range of police work — from proposed arrests and the lawfulness of planned operations to the seizure and retention of vehicles, the correct interpretation of PACE, and the policing of major public events. A recent illustration was advice on the lawfulness of planned action to arrest and remove a man who had barricaded himself in his home (Elliott v Chief Constable of Cumbria).

Mediation

Matthew is a civil and commercial mediator and undertakes facilitative mediation across a wide range of disputes.

Notable cases

Jones v Chief Constable of Essex Police [2026] EWHC 129 (KB)  —  Acting for the Chief Constable (against leading counsel). The High Court set aside the permission an offender-claimant had obtained under s.329 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 to bring an assault claim arising from an armed-response arrest, holding there was no realistic prospect of establishing that the force used was grossly disproportionate.

Searson v Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire Police [2025] EWHC 1982 (KB)  —  Acting for the Chief Constable on a reported appeal concerning the duty to review detention under s.40 PACE. Although one ground succeeded, the claimant recovered only nominal damages of £1, the court holding that a lawful review would have resulted in continued detention.

Chief Constable of Northamptonshire v Woodcock; CJ and others v Chief Constable of Wiltshire [2025] EWCA Civ 13  —  Court of Appeal. Acting (with Cecily White, led by Andrew Warnock KC) for the successful chief constables in conjoined appeals on police liability in negligence and under Article 3 for failures to protect against the criminal acts of a third party — a leading application of Tindall v Chief Constable of Thames Valley [2024] UKSC 33.

R (Dalton) v Chair of the Police Appeals Tribunal [2024] EWHC 1116 (Admin)  —  Acting for the Chief Constable of Hertfordshire (interested party). The Administrative Court refused the former officer’s challenge to the Police Appeals Tribunal’s decision upholding his dismissal.

R (Kearney) v Chief Constable of Hampshire [2019] EWCA Civ 1841  —  Court of Appeal. Successfully resisted a challenge to the refusal to disclose original CCTV in a contested murder conviction featured in the BBC series Conviction: Murder at the Station. The court held the application was totally without merit.

R (Akarcay) v Chief Constable of West Yorkshire [2017] EWHC 159 (Admin)  —  Acted for the chief constable. The force lawfully disclosed evidence to a foreign prosecuting authority to facilitate the prosecution of a suspected large-scale drug dealer who had fled the jurisdiction; the claim was dismissed.

R (Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police) v IPCC [2014] EWCA Civ 1367  —  Acting for the chief constable, secured the quashing of IPCC findings that an officer had acted unlawfully. The IPCC revised its statutory guidance as a result.

R (Haly) v Chief Constable of West Midlands [2016] EWHC 2932 (Admin)  —  Acted for the defendant; search held lawful and the challenge to the warrant dismissed.

R (Yavuz) v Chief Constable of West Yorkshire [2016] EWHC 2054 (Admin)  —  Acted for the defendant in a challenge to the conduct of a misconduct investigation; claim dismissed with costs.

XS v Chief Constable of Hampshire [2016] EWHC 848 (QB)  —  Acted in a claim for delivery up of seized material and under the Human Rights Act and Data Protection Act concerning a vulnerable complainant; claims withdrawn.

Brian Bowles v Chief Constable of Northamptonshire  —  Jury trial. Acting for the defendant in a claim for unlawful detention and assault following the arrest of a 73-year-old man of good character; the jury found for the defendant on all points.

Magee v Chief Constable of Derbyshire [2020] EWHC 3569 (QB)  —  Jury trial. Acting for the Chief Constable; the jury found for the defendant on all points, and the claimants’ subsequent appeal was dismissed.

Hillsborough inquests (2014–16)  —  Represented South Yorkshire Police in the fresh inquests into the deaths of 97 people — the longest inquests ever held in England and Wales.

Leigh and Reeves v Chief Constable of Kent  —  Acted for the chief constable across the linked inquest, disciplinary proceedings and civil claims arising from a death in police restraint.

Professional memberships

ALBA, PIBA, ARDL.

Lectures

Matthew lectures on both police and personal injury law.

privacy

Matthew adopts and adheres to the provisions of the privacy notice which can be accessed here.

FURTHER INFORMATION

For further details of Matthew’s practice please contact a member of the clerking or client care team here.

Bar Council Membership No: 38516
Registered Name: Matthew Holdcroft Limited
VAT Registration No: 211320773

Matthew Holdcroft is the trading name of Matthew Holdcroft Ltd, a company incorporated in England and Wales. Company no. 09362560.