My experience as an expert witness includes providing in excess of 150 reports. These cases are distributed between England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and the Isle of Man.
My main areas of service concern:
The cases involve custody sectors of police, prison, mental health, immigration, security staff and the children’s sector. (Custody commences from the point of initial contact & arrest). My main topic is police custody.
I have provided my services for public inquiry, coroner, fatal accident inquiries, civil, criminal and police misconduct cases. I have been engaged by coroners and legal teams representing the defence and prosecution/claimant. I have repeat business from the Police Federation, Police Ombudsman agencies and the Crown Office. I am registered with, and vetted by, the National Crime Agency (NCA) for custody topics.
I have (as at January 2023) been engaged for 13 ligature deaths in custody and 8 deaths during restraints.
I have been engaged by the Public Inquiry into the restraint death of Mr Sheku Bayoh. I gave evidence over 3 days and my report can be viewed on the Inquiry website: https://www.shekubayohinquiry.scot/node/545
The approximate split of cases includes:
I was a police officer for nearly 24 years, 17 of these as a sergeant. I specialised in the Safer Handling of Detained Persons / Safer Custody, and the use of force. I served 7 years as a custody sergeant dealing with male and female detainees, police detainees under PACE and convicted prisoners under Prison Rules and prison PSIs and PSOs during Operation Container, and trained police officers in prison rules.
Not only did I complete 7 years of front-line police custody duties for use of force and safer custody, but I progressed to 10 years of emergency planning, safer custody and use of force (principles and practices theory) training delivery and consultancy, assessment of staff, risk assessing custody environments, and major incident management of prisoners between prisons and police custody. I was force planning lead for Operation Container for the housing of prisoners from prison within the police estate, and trained to Tactical Support Group (TSG) standards (prison service ‘Tornado’ equivalent). I performed front line duties as part of a tactical support group in the use of shields and fire insemination.
My safer custody experience covers from point of stop and search/arrest in the public domain, through to police custody, court custody, prison custody and all the transportation between by private contractors
Examples of recent cases I have been engaged for include:
1.Police case: Scotland. Public Inquiry into the death during restrain of Mr Sheku Bayoh.
Engaged directly by the inquiry team. I was engaged in 2022 for the report .I gave evidence at the inquiry in December 2022 over 3 days.
2. Police case: Police Ombudsman Northern Ireland. Death in Custody – following restraint.
Engaged by PONI
3. Prison case: Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service. Death of prisoner during restraint.
Report provided in September 2022.
4. Police Case. Derbyshire Coroner. Death during restraint in police custody.
Engaged by Coroner. Report provided January 2022. I gave evidence in February 2023.
5. Prison Ligature Deaths x 2. Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal investigations.
Engaged by senior procurator fiscal depute. Reports submitted July 2022. Investigations still in progress.
6. Police case: Police officer use of force internal investigation.
Engaged by Police PSD department. Report submitted December 2022. Internal PSD investigation concerning an officer’s use of force upon a member of the public.
7. Police Case: Isle of Man. Detainee injured in custody.
Engaged by the legal team representing the detainee. Report submitted October 2022.
8. Police Case: Police Ombudsman Northern Ireland. Police officer use of force internal investigation x 2.
Engaged by PONI for 2 internal investigations, both involving complaints by members of the public for officer use of force during arrest. Reports submitted February and March 2023.
9. Police Case: Police Federation England & Wales. Criminal investigation against custody sergeant.
Engaged by Police Federation legal team, acting for the custody sergeant’s defence to the criminal charge of assault. Report submitted and criminal case withdrawn against officer.
10. Police Case: Northern Ireland Police Federation. Criminal and misconduct investigation against custody sergeant.
Engaged by Police Federation legal team who were acting on behalf of the custody officer’s defence. Detainee died in the police custody cell following intoxication and choking. My report submitted January 2022.
Click here to view her CV.
