Phase 1 of the Southport Inquiry, chaired by Sir Adrian Fulford has concluded with closing submissions filed on 24 November 2025.

On 29 July 2024, Axel Rudakubana carried out a brutal knife attack at a children’s dance club in Southport.  He murdered 3 young girls, Elsie Dot Stancombe, Alice da Silva Aguiar and Bebe King, and injured 10 other people. Sixteen others survived the attack but live with the serious emotional consequences.

Phase 1 of the Inquiry aims to (i) establish a definitive account of the events leading up to the Southport attack and the attack itself; and (ii) review the decision-making and information-sharing by local services and agencies which interacted with Axel Rudakubana prior to the attack to examine whether there were opportunities to manage the risk he posed to the public, making any required recommendations for improvements.

The Inquiry, held in Liverpool Town Hall, heard from around 90 witnesses, with other evidence summarised.

The Inquiry’s Phase 1 report is expected in Spring 2026. Phase 2 will examine the wider issue of young people being drawn into extreme violence.

James Berry KC and Chloe Hill act for Merseyside Police.

John Beggs KC and Oliver Williamson act for Lancashire Police.

James Berry KC represented the Metropolitan Police Service in the inquest into the death of HW, who was shot dead by an armed police officer on 11 December 2021.

On the afternoon of 11 December 2021, the MPS received a 999 call reporting a robbery by a man (HW) claiming to be armed at a bank in Earls Court. The informant reported that the man had then gone into two betting shops and got into a taxi. A firearms incident was declared, and Trojan units were sent to the area. One unit got behind and followed the taxi, which came to a natural stop in Kensington opposite Hyde Park. Officers gave armed challenges from both sides of the taxi. HW did not show his hands and then produced a handgun. HW raised his gun towards officer 1 who shot HW in self-defence. Officer 2 almost simultaneously shot HW in defence of officer 1. HW was not critically injured by either shot.

Officer 3 sought to extract HW from the taxi, pulling him to the taxi floor. HW kept hold of his handgun despite the officers’ repeated commands to drop it. Officer 2 shot HW in self-defence, fearing that they were at imminent risk of being shot. This shot proved fatal despite prompt first aid being given by the officers and the London Ambulance Service. Upon viewing their body worn video footage, officer 2 acknowledged that they had made an honest mistake as to the imminence of the risk, because HW’s gun was no longer pointing towards them at the moment when they fired the shot.

The Coroner left unlawful killing, lawful killing and open conclusions to the jury. The jury unanimously return a conclusion of lawful killing. The jury found that HW’s actions in the taxi caused officer 2 to believe that there was an imminent risk to life.

The jury found that HW’s actions with his gun in the taxi and his non-compliance with the officers’ commands probably contributed to the circumstances in which he died. The jury also found that HW’s mental health issues possibly contributed to the circumstances in which he died. The officers were unaware of HW’s identity or, therefore, his mental health history. HW’s gun turned out to be a BB gun.

No narrative criticisms were made of the MPS and no prevention of future deaths report was issued by the Coroner.

James Berry KC represented the Metropolitan Police Service. Unusually, the officers were not separately represented.

We are delighted to announce the election of Michael Horne KC and Claire Watson KC as Joint Head of Chambers. Claire – our first female Head of Chambers – succeeds Angus Moon KC, who relinquishes the role after nearly 14 years to focus on his award-winning practice.

Mike comments, “it has been a pleasure and a privilege to serve as Joint Head of Chambers with Angus.  We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Angus for his commitment and vision in overseeing the transformation in Chambers during his successful terms as Joint Head of Chambers, initially with John Beggs KC and latterly myself.  I am very much looking forward to continuing Chambers’ development and success with Claire.”

Claire echoes Mike’s expression of gratitude to Angus and notes, “Mike and I very much look forward to working together to build on the collegiality and cohesion of Chambers and to consolidate our reputation as a top tier set.”

We are delighted to share that Rachel Spearing KC has been appointed Attorney General of Anguilla, the British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. Rachel shall commence her appointment in January 2026, and will take a sabbatical from part of her UK practice.

In this ministerial post, she will advise the Government of Anguilla on matters of good governance, legislative development and public policy, supporting the operation of legal and regulatory frameworks across the territory.

Her appointment reflects the breadth of her practice across public law, serious and organised crime, regulatory matters, information governance and professional discipline. Rachel also brings experience from complex advisory and governance projects, both in the UK and internationally. She is a qualified mediator and sits as a Regulatory & Disciplinary Judge and as a part-time Coroner.

Rachel commented:

“It is an honour to be appointed Attorney General of Anguilla. I look forward to serving the people of Anguilla and supporting the Government in upholding the rule of law, promoting good governance, and ensuring justice is delivered with integrity and fairness.”

Her Excellency the Governor, Julia Crouch OBE, commented:

“I am delighted to welcome Ms Spearing to Anguilla. Her breadth of experience, integrity and commitment to public service will be invaluable in supporting the government in ensuring the safety, good governance and prosperity of Anguilla. I look forward to working with her in this important role.”

A copy of the official press release can be found here.

On 1 October 2025 the BBC’s Panorama Undercover in the Police was broadcast. The documentary was based on recordings made by an undercover journalist posing as a detention officer at Charing Cross Police Station.

Following an independent investigation by the IOPC, the Metropolitan Police Service is bringing misconduct proceedings against nine police officers whose behaviour was exposed by the documentary.

James Berry KC, Stephen Morley, Cecily White and Chloe Hill are presenting the cases against the officers, four of whom were dismissed on 23 and 24 October 2025.

The misconduct proceedings have attracted significant media attention. See here and here.

On 23 September 2025, David Lawson was invited to speak at the Royal Society’s seminar “AI and the Law”, held at its historic venue in St James’ Park.

Addressing an audience of senior members of the judiciary, leading law professors from the UK and the USA, and representatives from major computing companies, David explored the future of legal training and the profound impact of artificial intelligence on the legal profession.

The full programme is available here.

Sarah Clarke KC has been ranked again in the Lexology Index: Business Crime Defence 2025.

This reflects her deserved international reputation as a leader in the field on corporate crime investigations and litigation

We are delighted to have been shortlisted in four categories at the forthcoming Chambers and Partners UK Bar Awards 2025.

• • • Eloise Power for Clinical Negligence Junior of the Year
    • Clinical Negligence Set of the Year
    • Inquests and Public Inquiries Set of the Year
    • Professional Discipline Set of the Year

   

• We’d like to thank to all of our clients for their ongoing support and congratulations to all those shortlisted.