5 Essex Chambers

Robert (Bobby) practices in police and public law, data protection and information law, inquests and police discipline.

Robert’s (Bobby’s) practice embraces all areas of police law. He has considerable trial and appellate experience and particular expertise and interest in data protection and information law, human rights issues, and misfeasance and false imprisonment claims. Bobby also undertakes public advisory work and provides training.

Bobby has appeared in high-profile inquests and inquiries, including the challenge to the Met Police’s Live Facial Recognition policy, the challenge to national policing guidance on strip searching trans detainees, the case of XGY and the principles of advocate immunity, the Plymouth Shootings inquests and the Covid Inquiry, and multiple multi-track trials, including numerous jury trials and very high value personal injury claims. Bobby is also an expert in retention of policing data, having appeared in many of the leading cases.

Notable recent cases include:

• R (Sex Matters) v (1) National Police Chiefs’ Council & (2) Chief Constable British Transport Police [2026] EWHC 1954 (Admin) (challenge to guidance permitting consensual cross-sex strip searching outside the framework of PACE, junior counsel);

• R (Thompson and anor) v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis  [2026] EWHC 915 (Admin) (challenge to the legality of policy governing the use by the police of live facial recognition technology, junior counsel);

• JXK v Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police [2026] EWHC 608 (KB) (summary judgment where the Chief Constable was not vicariously liable for the criminal conduct of a former officer who had accessed systems and processed people’s data contrary to training and specific instruction);

• Chief Constable of Sussex Police and anor v XGY [2025] EWCA Civ 1230 (leading authority concerning the immunity of words said by an advocate on their feet in court and the extent to which that extends to the police in preparing the court file for the CPS advocate, junior counsel);

• Sleeper v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis [2025] EWHC 151 (KB) (an appeal to the High Court concerning the interaction between the power of arrest and the human rights of protesters);

• Warburton v Chief Constable of Avon and Somerset [2023] K.B. 551 (leading authority on the principle of res judicata);

• Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis v Information Commissioner [2021] UKUT 5 (AAC) (leading case on s.23(5) FOIA);

• Chief Constable of Avon & Somerset v Gray [2019] EWCA Civ 1675 (leading case on CROs and access to justice).

Bobby was called to the Bar in 2010 and appointed to the Attorney General’s A Panel of Counsel in 2026.