The Legal 500

Position

All aspects of personal injury work for claimants and defendants; clinical negligence; health and safety. Extensive experience of alternative dispute resolution, including mediations. Cases include: Shah v Pinderfields Hospital NHS Trust [2001] (medical negligence involving spinal surgery); Evans v Stracey [2001] (brain damage to child with damages awarded of £1m); Beighton-Garner v Sandwell Healthcare NHS Trust [2002] (cerebral palsy with damages awarded of £2.7m); R v Shanks [2002] (murder); Nixon v Chanceoption Developments Limited [2002] (successful appeal in fall from scaffolding case to Court of Appeal); Taylor v Beckett and UK Insurance Limited [2003] (catastrophic injuries resulting in award of £4.2m); Keel v Parcelforce Worldwide (2003) (Court of Appeal case on application of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1992); Hewston and Others v Hoverland Travel Centre Limited [2004] (instructed for defendant in claim in respect of alleged severe gastrointestinal symptoms arising out of holiday to Spain); Rawji v GTRM Limited [2004] (substantial damages achieved for railway worker who suffered arm amputation and very serious leg injuries after being struck by a train); Gladwin v TDG (UK) Limited and Ian Read Transport (2005) (below-knee amputation arising out of a forklift truck accident. Liability was disputed. £500,000 award based on full liability); Miles v Esso Petroleum (2005) (test case concerning a number of refinery workers who alleged they suffered a repetitive strain injury after being exposed to excessive value turning work – complex liability and medical causation issues); Hassan Salih v Cannon Plant and Crane Hire (2005) (successful claim for roofer who fell to ground level, suffering catastrophic injures including permanent blindness). Successfully resisted appeal to Court of Appeal); Addison v Mencap (2005) (acted successfully for defendant in £300,000 employer’s liability claim where claimant was only awarded £1,500 after week long trial); Perkins v Market Rasen Racecourse (2005) CL (substantial damages for shoulder injury); P (a child) (2005) Kemp (£2m award for girl who suffered severe brain damage after non-accidental injury whilst a baby); R v Atkinson and Others (2004) (acted for defence in prosecution of second mate of a fishing trawler that collided with a North Sea oil platform, causing extensive damage to trawler and platform and potentially extensive loss of life); Ashton v MoD (2006) (junior in claim against MoD where claimant suffered severe brain damage and severe spinal injury); Ruparel v Medway NHS Trust (2007) (successful claim against hospital for negligent treatment of vascular illness, leading to amputation of leg); Port of Tilbury (2007) (represented Port of Tilbury in plea in mitigation hearing at Crown Court following death of six year old boy at the premises crushed by falling reel of paper. Fine of £100,000 imposed); Ahanonu v South East London and Kent Bus Company Limited (2008) (Court of Appeal case on duty of care owed by bus driver); McCready v Mayday Healthcare NHS Trust (2009) (successful claim against hospital following emergency delivery of child by Caesarean section that led to serious complications for mother); Baroness Corston QC v House of Commons (2009) (accident in House of Commons); Blount v Amalgamated Lifts (2009) (lift accident); Gilding v Williams (2009) (substantial claim following serious injury to dentist); Callier v Deacon (2009) (amputation award following trial on liability in High Court) ; McNeil v MoD (2009) (serious head injury suffered when serving in Iraq) ; Gormley v East Cheshire NHS Trust (2010) (successful claim by 81-year-old man for substantial damages following negligent medical and nursing care. Settled by way of periodical payments with capitalised value of some £450,000); Toxic Sofa Group Action (2010) (thought to be the largest group action litigation about a consumer product, where 4,500 claimants claimed more than £10m from 14 high street stores, including Land of Leather) ; Gage v Harrison (2010) (medical negligence claim. Substantial award following spinal fusion procedure); Footman v Royal Mail (2010) (duty owed by Royal Mail to protect against armed robbery) ; Webster v Ridgeway School (2010) (action against school following assault on pupil by third parties) ; Salter v Anscombe (2010) (acted for dependents in substantial fatal accident claim arising out of the deaths of a senior partner in a solicitor’s firm and his daughter who bred and trained horses for show jumping at the highest level); Daglish v MOD (2011) (substantial brain damage award following contested trial of medical causation; Savandranayagam v Sony DADC ltd (2011) EWHC s35, QB, (acted for defendant in successful defence of claim in respect of accident at work); Binnion v Lister and others (2011) (traumatic brain injury, substantial award).

Career

Qualified 1983; Inner Temple; contributor to Inns of Court School of Law, manuals on drafting and on opinion writing. Appointed Tribunal Judge to sit on Criminal Injuries Compensation cases.

Languages

French, Spanish.

Member

Personal Injury Bar Association; Professional Negligence Bar Association; Association of Personal Injury Lawyers; The British Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Education

Haberdashers’ Aske’s School, Elstree; University of Kent (1982 BA Law); Cambridge University (1984 LLM).

Leisure

Jazz, rugby, water-skiing.

Practice Areas

Clinical negligence - either side; Crime - general; Personal injury - either side