Benjamin Harrison

Call 2016

Benjamin Harrison | Call 2016

Back to Our People

Overview

Ben has considerable experience appearing on behalf of families and NHS Trusts at inquests, especially where mental health treatment, mental capacity and Art. 2 ECHR are in issue. He is sensitive to the strain that these proceedings can place on both the family of the deceased, clinicians and other expert witnesses.

Inquests

Cases and work of note

  • An inquest touching upon the death of Victoria Bates [2020], HM Senior Coroner for Worcestershire
    Ben represented an NHS Trust in a four-day inquest. Issues included the risk assessments performed by clinicians before the deceased took her own life. The integrity of those assessments were affirmed by the Coroner in his findings of fact. Ben also successfully persuaded the Coroner that Article 2 ECHR did not apply in this case.
  • An inquest touching upon the death of Mary Hoare [2019], HM Area Coroner for Birmingham and Solihull
    Ben represented an NHS Mental Health Trust in a three-day inquest where the deceased had been discharged from the service and ultimately ended up at an inappropriate placement in the community, before committing suicide. Ben successfully persuaded the Coroner that no PFD report was necessary in this case against his client.
  • An inquest touching upon the death of Ellen Armstrong [2019], HM Senior Coroner for Suffolk
    Ben acted for the family in this inquest, which attracted some media attention: see here . The NHS Trust concerned accepted that it needed to remedy identified failings in the care it provided to the deceased before she took her own life. A PFD report was not issued in this case, because the Trust was already in the process of responding to an earlier PFD report issued by the Coroner, which concerned similar matters. Instead, Ben persuaded the Coroner to follow-up with the Trust for an update on the progress being made in response to those earlier concerns.

AWARDS

  • BPTC Scholarship: The William Shakespeare Memorial Award, Gray’s Inn
  • BPTC Scholarship, BBP University
  • Foundation Scholarship, Pembroke College, Cambridge
  • College Prize, Pembroke College, Cambridge
  • Winner of the Brick Court Team Moot, University of Cambridge (2015)
  • Finalist in the Quadrant Chambers Fledglings Moot Competition, University of Cambridge (2015)

QUALIFICATIONS

Law: M.A. (Cantab.), First Class

MEMBERSHIPS

  • The Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn
  • Ecclesiastical Law Society

FURTHER INFORMATION

For further details of Ben’s practice please click on the links to the left or contact a member of the clerking or client service teams.

Bar Council Membership No: 67611
Registered Name: Benjamin Harrison
VAT Registration No: 314361140

Privacy

Ben adopts and adheres to the provisions of his privacy notice which can be accessed here.