2002                        Tenant at 3 Serjeants’ Inn

2001                        Called to the Bar

2000-2001               Inns of Court School of Law, BVC

1996-1999               St. Hugh’s College, Oxford University, BA Hons Jurisprudence

1989-1996               St. Michael’s Catholic Grammar School, London.

Email:                       cwatson@3serjeantsinn.com

Civil actions involving the police

Claire advises and represents many of the police forces in a wide variety of civil actions. She has represented the police in both jury and judge-only trials and has acted in many interim matters.

Police discipline

Claire provides advice and representation to forces in disciplinary matters. She also provides general advice in relation to disclosure in disciplinary matters.

Coroner’s inquests

Claire has wide experience of representing forces, police officers and Forensic Medical Examiners in coroner’s inquests.

Judicial review

Claire has advised and represented several forces in relation to judicial review matters. Her experience includes acting on behalf of the National Crime Squad in ex p Tucker, a landmark judicial review case about the returning of an officer to his home force. Other notable cases are Metropolitan Police v Hooper [2005] EWHC 340 and R (Cleary) v Highbury Magistrates’ Court, the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis and the Secretary of State for the Home Department [2006].

Licensing

Claire undertakes a considerable amount of licensing work on behalf of several forces. She recently acted in a case involving the review of a premises licence on behalf of Lincolnshire Police. Claire also acts in appeals under the Firearms Act 1968.

Applications in the magistrates’ court

As well as advising and representing the police in numerous applications for the closure of premises associated with Class A drug use, ASBOs, Sexual Offences Prevention Orders/Risk of Sexual Harm Orders and Football Banning Orders, Claire has acted in a number of appeals to the Crown Court and High Court concerning such applications. Claire also acts for the police in Police Property Act applications and applications under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

Other work

Claire has undertaken a wide range of general advisory work, including general operational advice to several forces on miscellaneous matters such as advising on the functions of officers holding acting ranks and the legality of police participation in a NHS scheme to protect staff from violent patients.

Disclosure/Data Protection

Claire also provides advice and representation to police forces in relation to applications under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and hearings before the Information Tribunal, in addition to representing forces in applications for disclosure, where issues of public interest immunity and/or confidentiality arise. 

Rabess v the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis [2007] EWHC 208 (Admin) Appeal to the Administrative Court in an ASBO case

A Borough Council v (1) A, (2) B, (3) C,D & E (Children by their Guardian) & Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police [2006] Guidance on disclosure and use of information and documents disclosed to police by a local authority. 

R (Cleary) v Highbury Magistrates’ Court, the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis and the Secretary of State for the Home Department [2006] Guidance given in closure of crack house procedure

Hemsley v (1) The Information Commissioner (2) The Chief Constable of Northamptonshire Police [2006]  Appeal against police refusal of request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Farag v Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis [2005] CA (Civ Div) An offer to settle made prior to the coming into force of the CPR and withdrawn some time before the trial should still have been taken into account by the judge when considering an order for costs.

Metropolitan Police v Hooper [2005] EWHC 340 (Admin) Magistrates’ power to adjourn an application by police for a closure order under section 2 of the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003: Classification of proceedings - civil or criminal.

R v Director-General of the National Crime Squad, ex Parte Tucker [2003] ICR 599 (Court of Appeal) Termination of secondment to National Crime Squad: whether amenable to judicial review; extent to which fairness required that reasons should be given.

Claire has presented seminars to a number of forces around the country and to the Independent Police Complaints Commission. Seminars in which she has been involved include:

-          A half day seminar on “containment”

-          A two day seminar on “contract killing”

-          A half day seminar on the Data Protection Act, Police and Criminal Evidence Act and the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act

-          A one day seminar on applications in the magistrates’ courts