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Inquiries and Inquests
Sarah has a growing practice in public and administrative law. She specialises in inquest law and public inquiries. She has represented families, NHS Trusts and individual clinicians in inquests around the country and as Treasury Counsel she has acted in inquests on behalf of the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Justice. She has represented a variety of interested persons in 'Article 2 inquests' investigating deaths in police or prison custody, including those as a result of self harm or involving force or restraint used by police or prison officers and of detained patients in psychiatric hospitals.
She is currently acting for the London Ambulance service in the 52 inquests into the 7th July 2005 London Bombings, which is examining the actions of the first responders at the bomb scenes on the day. Hallett LJ, sitting as an Assistant Deputy Coroner determined that she will consider whether a number of the Deceased, who survived the initial blasts but later succumbed to their injuries, could have survived if the emergency response had been faster, better equipped or had anything been done differently by the first responders as well as various systemic issues involving deployment of resources, training, communications and equipment.
Prior to that Sarah appeared in the Baha Mousa Public Inquiry. In this public inquiry to investigate the death and report on the circumstances surrounding the death of Baha Mousa and the treatment of those detained with him by British Forces in Basra in September 2003 she was acting as Junior Counsel to a soldier team and her clients were therefore, for the most part, in conflict with other soldier witnesses. They comprised a varied group ranging from Private, Corporal, Sergeant and Colour Sergeant, through to Major in rank.
Judicial Review and Human Rights
Sarah has acted for numerous different government or statutory bodies (e.g. CPS, parole boards, probation boards) and Prisons in cases of judicial review and civil claims for false imprisonment arising from challenges to detention or treatment whilst detained. Many of her cases have involved claims under Art’s 3, 5 and 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights. Sarah also has experience of judicial review proceedings arising out of police cases in the Magistrates’ Courts.
Medical ethics and treatment decisions
Sarah is interested in practice in all types of disputes regarding social welfare of incapacitated adults and children and medical treatment issues. Sarah was recently one of the contributers to a book, edited by Christopher Johnston and written by members of Chambers entitled Medical Treatment: Decisions and the Law, The Mental Capacity Act in Action. She wrote chapter 1 on the general law of consent in medical law.
Disclosure applications
Sarah acts in disclosure applications in the High Court and crown courts. She represents NHS trusts and police forces in cases in which it is necessary to assert confidentiality in relation to medical records and documents created in the course of police investigation or manage disclosure, such as those involving child abuse by a family member.
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