Actions Against the Police & Inquests

Holding the state accountable

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Tooks Chambers has a strong team with extensive experience of actions against the police and acting for families in inquest cases.

Actions against the police:

Tooks Chambers is ranked by Chambers and Partners 2008 as a Leading Set in this area. We cover the whole range of actions: false imprisonment; malicious prosecution; misfeasance in public office, breach of confidence and negligence, as well as claims under the ECHR and related Human Rights claims such as Judicial Reviews of decisions of the IPCC relating to disciplinary proceedings against police officers. Our team of experienced practitioners draws on its expertise in related fields such as crime, discrimination, immigration and public law.

Patrick Roche and Hugh Southey are rated by Chambers and Partners 2008 as Leading Practitioners in this field. Martin Huseyin writes the chapter on civil actions for the APIL Encyclopedia of Personal Injury Actions and Pleading [Jordans].

Inquests:

Our team is one of the most experienced at the bar in acting for families in inquest cases. We act at all levels, in judicial reviews and in some of the highest profile cases, such as the inquests into the deaths of Jean Charles de Menezes, Princess Diana and Simon Murden who was shot by police officers in Hull. We specialise in deaths engaging the responsibility of the authorities, such as police shootings; deaths in prison or police custody, immigration or mental health detention; and also in cases involving medical negligence.

We carry out related actions, such as civil claims, and claims under articles 2, 3 and 8 of the ECHR. We have the benefit of expertise in relevant areas of law, such as immigration detention, prison law, police actions and public law.

Our specialists contribute to various publications, including Inquests - A Practitioner's Guide (forthcoming); articles in legal journals, and regular articles in the practitioner's journal Inquest Law.

Recent cases in which Tooks has been involved include

Vicario v the Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis [2007] EWCA Civ 1361;
Jean Paul v Deputy Coroner of The Queen's Household [2007] EWHC 408 (Admin);
R (on the application of Bennett) v HM Coroner for Inner South London [2007] EWCA Civ 617;
R (Pereira) v Inner South London Coroner [2007] 1 WLR 3256;
R (on the application of Armani Da Silva) v. DPP & Ors [2006] EWHC 3204 (Admin);
R (Scholes) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2006] 170 JP 243, CA

We are committed to acting for families, and regularly undertake pro-bono work. The team is always happy to be approached for training purposes.

Further Information

Further information about individual members of our Inquest team can be obtained using the links to the right. You can also contact our clerks directly:

• David Smith 020 7841 6108 david.smith@tooks.co.uk
• Simon Gardner 020 7841 6110 simon.gardner@tooks.co.uk

Actions Against the Police & Inquests

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