Full Profile
Siobhan represents numerous police forces throughout England and Wales and is recognised as having expertise in defending public liability claims involving misfeasance in public office, Human Rights Act claims and neglect in custody.
She is currently instructed on behalf of Operation Resolve, the investigation established to conduct the current criminal inquiry into the events leading up to and including the Hillsborough disaster in 1989. Having represented Operation Resolve throughout the extensive inquests which concluded in April 2016, Siobhan remains instructed in respect of the ongoing criminal investigation.
Siobhan led the team to success in securing panel status to act for the National Police Framework in 2012 and 2016. Both Siobhan and the team are ranked in the top tier of Chambers and Partners.
She has an impressive reputation for dealing with complex technical claims arising out of deaths in police custody or domestic violence homicides following police involvement and the related Article 2 compliant inquests. She is regularly approached to advise and act in relation to high profile and high value instructions and is renowned for her management of complex technical claims or issues, including cases involving witness protection, protection of informants and PII.
Siobhan specialises in defending claims relating to neglect, physical and emotional abuse, failures to remove, and related breaches of Human Rights. These are often of a historic nature and involve particularly vulnerable claimants and highly sensitive and complex issues. Siobhan’s recent instructions include a claim of failure to remove three children in circumstances where they were neglected and regularly witnessed domestic abuse in the family home; a claim for sexual abuse of a child by a football coach which occurred over 35 years ago, and a claim for grooming leading to sexual and psychological assault committed by a teaching assistant in a residential school for children with learning difficulties. She has also acted in a claim pursued by a girl with severe learning difficulties and her parents against multiple public authorities following the removal of the girl after allegations of serious sexual assault. Siobhan is also instructed in claims for harassment, bullying and discrimination in an educational or employment environment.
Experience
- Instructed to represent Operation Resolve at the inquests into the Hillsborough stadium disaster
- Advising on a complex and high value claim (seeking over GBP 1.3m) pursued by multiple claimants alleging malicious procurement of a warrant, misfeasance in public office, trespass, unlawful arrest and false imprisonment
- Instructed to represent a large police force in respect of an inquest into a woman who was murdered by her husband and also instructed to handle the concurrent civil proceedings brought on behalf of her estate and family members, alleging breaches of Articles 2 and 3
- Following a week trial, successfully defended a claim by two serving police officers who had been arrested and prosecuted for misfeasance in public office and perverting the course of justice and were claiming damages for false imprisonment, malicious prosecution and misfeasance in public office, with substantial claims for psychiatric injury
- Defending a claim pursued by the family of a deceased male who died whilst in police custody and following his involvement with police officers. The claim was extremely sensitive in nature and involved complex technical issues
- Advising on complex PII issues surrounding the investigation into a historic murder and information provided by an informant
- Instructed to represent a police force in a novel and sensitive claim on behalf of woman with severe learning difficulties alleging negligence and breaches of Articles 5 and 8 against multiple defendants
