New Park Court Chambers

Crime, Regulatory, Family

Eleanor Fry deals with a broad range of complex and sensitive matters in the criminal and family jurisdictions and before regulatory/disciplinary tribunals, often with cross-jurisdictional aspects.

Crime

Eleanor’s criminal experience, as a junior alone, leading and/or led junior includes prosecution and defence and ranges from cases of fraud to violence, child cruelty, rape and other sexual assaults, attempts to pervert the course of justice, misconduct in a public office, operational cases involving allegations of serious organized crime, terrorism offences and murder/manslaughter.

Eleanor regularly prosecutes and defends in the Crown Court (as a junior alone, leading and led junior), in cases involving murder, manslaughter, causing death or serious injury by dangerous driving, rape and other sexual offences, misconduct in a public office, attempts to pervert the course of justice, dishonesty, violence including child cruelty, etc.

Eleanor has prosecuted and defended in cases involving the defence of insanity and has conducted numerous complex, multi-handed operational and sensitive cases, involving medico-legal (including sleep), scientific, ballistic, telephone and financial experts, and children and other vulnerable witnesses. She also has experience of representing both sides in cases involving private prosecutions and regulatory offences.

• R v Silkstone & Skelton (2025): (Led by Matthew Donkin KC) Baby shaking: s18 (GBH with intent) and causing or allowing serious injury to a child. Expert evidence across multiple medical disciplines.
• R v Hugo (2025): Non-recent allegations of serious sexual assaults dating back to 1967, when the defendant was a priest and scout master. Multiple legal arguments, including applications to stay the indictment as an abuse of process – the trial proceeded to a fair and proper conclusion – defendant acquitted by jury.
• R v A (2025): Defending multiple counts of alleged rape and assaults by the Defendant upon his step-children (ages 7-16). Vulnerable witnesses. Legal argument. Toxicology and CCTV evidence going to the factual allegations.

Regulatory

Since 2016, Eleanor has been instructed regularly by the General Medical Council to conduct GMC Investigation Committee hearings and fitness to practise, non-compliance and review hearings before the Medical Practitioners’ Tribunal Service. These proceedings have included expert evidence spanning numerous different medical fields, vulnerable witnesses, remote evidence, legal argument regarding the admissibility of material and have covered the following allegations (often combined):

• Misconduct, including sexually motivated misconduct and dishonesty
• Convictions/cautions
• Deficient Professional Performance
• Insufficient Levels of English
• Impairment by reason of ill-health

Inquests

Eleanor has experience of representing various IPs at inquest and PIR hearings, before juries and coroners sitting alone, including in cases involving complex expert medical evidence (pathology, psychiatry, endocrinology, emergency medical, renal, trauma surgery, cardiology, etc.) and other expert evidence (toxicology, engineering, psychology, etc.) and evidence on police and prison systems and procedures. Eleanor has experience of drafting submissions on the engagement of Article 2, the scope of the inquest, the conclusions to leave to a jury, the making of prevention of future death notices, etc.

• GMC v Dr Bagga (2025): Conviction case at FTP hearing, made more complex by the passage of time and significant work undertaken by the doctor. The gravity of the offences required a finding of impairment for public confidence. Dr erased.
• GMC v Dr O (2025): Misconduct case concerning a junior psychiatrist accused of smoking cannabis on shift in a mental health ward during a personal crisis and mental health concerns.

Family

Eleanor regularly appears in applications in the High Court or on behalf of parents, children and local authorities in the Family Court in private and public law proceedings under the Children Act 1989.

• Representation at case management hearings, findings of fact and final hearings of public and private law applications involving allegations of serious physical and sexual violence (both recent and non-recent), serious emotional harm, involvement in organised crime etc.
• Use of special measures and other technology (ABE, video-link, TV-link, telephone evidence (for experts), screens, pre-recorded cross-examination, written/pre-prepared cross-examination, etc.)
• Representation of respondents in child abduction cases under the Hague Convention in the High Court of Justice (at the RCJ).
• Representation of applicants and respondents in applications for international or national relocation.
• Involvement on all sides of private law proceedings – applications for CAOs, SIOs, PSOs, SGOs.
• Involvement in cases involving the Official Solicitor and where the Home Office has intervened.

Spanish, French

Shortlisted Crime and Extradition Junior of the Year at the Legal 500 Bar Awards (2023) CPS RASSO Panel Advocate (2023) Appointed Deputy District Judge (2022) CPS Level 4 Prosecutor