John Beggs KC KC > Chambers of Angus Moon KC and Michael Horne KC > London, England > Barrister Profile
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John Beggs KC KC
Work Department
All areas of police law; regulatory law; judicial review; inquests and public inquiries; criminal defence; employment (mainly discrimination cases); libel.
Position
John Beggs QC was called to the Bar in 1989 and took silk in 2009. John is one of the most sought-after silks at the Bar. He has shaped police law in the UK, appearing in key roles in some of the most important cases of recent years. An earlier edition notes that “he is probably the best cross-examiner outside the Criminal Bar” and that “he is so respected that it is normally a fight between authorities and defence lawyers to see who can approach him first to represent their clients.” He was awarded Professional Discipline Silk of the Year at the Chambers UK Bar Awards 2018. Please visit the Serjeants’ Inn website for his profile, which sets out full details of his practice including relevant work of note.
Career
Called 1989; Gray’s Inn; Silk 2009. Publications of note: ‘Police misconduct, complaints, and public regulation’ OUP 2009; ‘Public order: Law and Practice’, Blackstone’s practical policing 2012.
Education
Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School; Brunel University, (1987 LLB (Hons)).
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Inquests and inquiries
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 1Serjeants’ Inn Chambers ‘boasts exceptional breadth and depth of expertise‘ across a range of practice areas, including inquests and inquiries. Its complex inquests work is exemplified by John Beggs KC‘s work on the reopened inquest into the death of Sabina Rizvi, instructed by Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis; reopened as a result of allegations of police collusion with the murderer. Bridget Dolan KC heads the team, who is instructed by the UK Health Security Agency for the first two modules of the Covid-19 inquiry. Nageena Khalique KC is instructed for the Welsh Government in module 6 of the Covid-19 inquiry, investigating the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the public and private adult social care sector, and Gerard Boyle KC is lead counsel for the National Police Chief’s Council in the Undercover Police Inquiry.
London Bar > Police law (forces and constables)
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 1‘At the top of the tree for police law’, Serjeants’ Inn Chambers ‘has an excellent reputation in representing police forces, whether it be civil claims, inquests, employment law or regulatory matters’. Acting for all police forces around the country, the set is also regularly trusted to represent the NCA, IOPC, and Police and Crime Commissioners. In Watson v PSNI, John Beggs KC represented the respondent as the Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland ruled that police officers in that jurisdiction could not face disciplinary proceedings in relation to pre-attestation misconduct. ‘A true leader in police law’, Gerard Boyle KC is representing the NPCC in the Undercover Policing Inquiry, as well as acting for West Midlands Police in the inquest into the death of Sean Fitzgerald during a police raid. Acting on behalf of the Chief Constable of West Mercia Police, Dijen Basu KC prosecuted a police constable before a police misconduct hearing panel regarding an allegation she used excessive force on former Aston Villa footballer Dalian Atkinson, who died after being shot with a Taser by the force.
London Bar > Professional disciplinary and regulatory law
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 1John Beggs KC – Serjeants’ Inn Chambers ‘John is simply the best. He has encyclopedic knowledge and memory of relevant case law.‘