People

1. HM Assistant Deputy Coroner
2. Counsel to the Inquest
3. Solicitors to the Inquest
4. Inquest Secretariat
5. Legal representatives for the Interested Persons

Her Majesty’s Assistant Deputy Coroner, Sir Robert Owen

Sir Robert Michael Owen has been a Judge of the High Court, Queen’s Bench Division, since 2001. He was called to the Bar (Inner Temple) in 1968 and became a QC in 1988.

In 1997 he was Chairman of the Bar of England and Wales. From 2005–08 he was the Presiding Judge of the Western Circuit.

Counsel to the Inquest

Robin Tam, QC

Robin Tam is the head of Temple Garden Chambers. His practice has become specialised in the fields of judicial review and administrative law, especially in immigration, asylum and human rights and in the interface between public law and private law. Before taking silk in 2006, he had been on the panels of Junior Counsel to the Crown since 1994, including the A Panel. Recently, he has been prominently involved in litigation relating to control orders, “deportation with assurances” and the detention and deportation of foreign national offenders. He was also instructed in connection with the inquests into the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales and Dodi Al Fayed.

Hugh Davies, OBE QC

Hugh Davies was called to the Bar in 1990 and has extensive experience of inquests; criminal law; police regulation and associated public law. He has appeared in multiple high-profile and controversial inquests, including many engaging Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights. He is co-author of the leading Oxford University Press practitioner textbook Police Misconduct, Complaints, and Public Regulation. An independent member of the national ACPO child-protection working group, with a documented interest in preventing the international exploitation of children, he was awarded an OBE in 2011 for services to children and young people.

Andrew O’Connor

Andrew O’Connor has extensive experience of inquests and public law litigation. He has been a member of the Attorney-General’s civil panels since 2000, and was appointed to the A Panel in March 2011. He was instructed as Junior Counsel to the Inquests into the London bombings of 7 July 2005 and acted for the IPCC at the inquest into the death of Ian Tomlinson.

Solicitors to the Inquest

Martin Smith

Martin Smith has particular experience of advising those conducting independent inquiries and investigations. He has previously advised Lords Hutton and Morris on their public inquiries and the Baha Mousa Inquiry chaired by Sir William Gage. He has also acted as Solicitor to the Inquests into the deaths of Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed and the inquests arising from the 7/7 London bombings. He is also instructed as Solicitor to the Commission of Inquiry into the death of the second UN Secretary General, Dag Hammarskjold.

Tim Suter

Tim Suter has experience of acting as solicitor to those conducting independent public inquiries, investigations and inquests. He has previously acted as the Deputy Solicitor to the Baha Mousa Public Inquiry and the inquests in to the London Bombings of 7 July 2005. He has assisted a client in connection with the Leveson Inquiry and represents witnesses in the Al Sweady Public Inquiry. He is also instructed as Solicitor to the Commission of Inquiry into the death of the second UN Secretary General, Dag Hammarskjold.

Inquest secretariat

Lee Hughes, CBE

Lee Hughes is the Secretary to the Inquest. A former senior civil servant, he was Secretary to the Hutton Inquiry, the Inquests into the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales and Dodi Al Fayed, the Baha Mousa Public Inquiry and Al-Sweady Public Inquiry. He has a background in legislation, as the lead official on the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000. He was appointed CBE in 2004.

Frances Currie

Frances Currie is the Deputy Secretary to the Inquest and a former civil servant with a background in HR and project management.  She was Deputy Secretary to the Baha Mousa Public Inquiry and Al-Sweady Public Inquiry.

Mike Wicksteed

Mike Wicksteed is the Communications Manager. A former senior civil servant, he specialises in communications. He previously worked in the former Lord Chancellor’s Department and Department for Constitutional Affairs. In 2005 he set up and ran the Judicial Communications Office.

 

Interested persons and their legal representatives

Introduction

Interested Persons are those whom the Coroner has decided, in accordance with the Coroners Rules 1984, should be entitled to ask witnesses questions. The categories of people who can be granted this right include the following:

• a parent, spouse, child, partner and representing the estate of the deceased;
• anyone whose actions the Coroner believes may have caused or contributed to the death, accidentally or otherwise;
• the chief officer of police (who may only ask witnesses questions through a lawyer);
• any person appointed by a government department to attend the inquest; and
• any other person who persuades the Coroner they have a proper interest in the inquest proceedings.

Legal representatives for the Interested Persons from October 2011 to the present

Counsel	Instructed by:
Representing Marina Litvinenko – Ben Emmerson QC, Henrietta Hill and Adam Straw	Blokh Solicitors Tel: +44 (0)20 7034 7055
Representing the Secretary of State for the Home Department – NeilGarnham QC and Neil Sheldon	The Treasury Solicitor’s Department Tel: +44 (0)20 7210 3000
Representing the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation – Patrick Gibbs QC and Claire Dobbin	Harbottle and Lewis Tel: +44 (0)20 7667 5000
Representing the Commissioner of the Metropolis – Richard Horwell QC and Saba Naqshbandi	The Metropolitan Police Service
Representing Andrei Lugovoy – Tim Owen QC, Jessica Simor & Alison McDonald	Pinsent Masons Tel: +44 (0)20 7418 7000
Representing the late Boris Berezovsky – Hugo Keith QC	Carter Ruck Tel: +44 (0)20 7353 5005