Full Profile
Highly experienced in guiding Global and major UK businesses through incident related investigations and prosecutions, his expertise spans Health & Safety, Corporate Manslaughter, Environmental Crime, Fire Safety, Food Safety and Coroners Inquests.
Heading our 24/7 incident response team, Chris seeks to prevent matters becoming either a crisis or a drama by providing strategic, responsive and pragmatic advice to protect client's immediate and long-term position, reputation and revenue. Having commenced his legal career in the 1990's as an orthodox crime lawyer where he undertook over 1000 interviews under caution, Chris has been specialising in Regulatory Crime since 2001 and continues to undertake interviews under caution, appeals against enforcement notices, trial preparation, Coroners inquests and advocacy.
Retained by a significant number of multi-national and large UK businesses in the Retail, Energy, Infrastructure, Regeneration, Manufacturing, Aviation and Insurance sectors, he also provides 'upstream' compliance advice working closely with major client's SHE and Legal departments. Chris is an accomplished Trainer and Speaker in the Health & Safety field.
Experience
- Extensive COVID-19 compliance advice in respect of policies, RIDDOR and enforcement including the following: healthcare; premier league football; retail; off-shore; construction; logistics; telecoms.
- Successful 'no further action' (NFA) achieved in June 2020 in respect of HSE investigation into a large engineering business following the workplace fatality of an employee (hydraulic failure) in September 2018.
- Defence of £4 billion turnover retailer in respect of a prolonged asbestos exposure involving an elevator engineer. Confirmation of no prosecution from Procurator Fiscal in December 2019.
- Delivery of bespoke H&S training programme to 700+ managers at the world's largest manufacturer of aircraft, over 22 sessions throughout 2019.
- Successful defence of 2 Directors investigated by the Police & HSE in respect of a 2016 workplace fatality (fall from height) at Silverstone motor racing track, including corporate manslaughter allegations (2019).
- Representation of leading manufacturer of ejection seats following the fatality of an RAF 'Red Arrow' pilot in a 'zero-zero' ejection. Caused the HSE to abandon primary allegation resulting in a guilty plea (2018).
- Successful defence of global restaurant chain following a very serious near miss where a group of customers, including 4 children, were trapped under a pedestrian lift. Local Authority confirmed NFA 2018.
- Representation of the cladding fabricator to Grenfell Tower following the fatal fire of June 2017 where 72 people died. Advising in respect of the Police's 'Operation Northleigh' investigation and Public Inquiry.
- Negotiated a simple caution with a Fire & Rescue Service for a multi-billion pound turnover retailer found to have committed several breaches of the Fire Safety Order, including a padlocked fire escape (2017).
- Representation of a multi-national business accused by the Environment Agency of extensive estuarine Tributyltin (TBT) pollution. Investigation, expert instruction and representation at PACE interview (2017).
- Representation of multi-story car park operator before Coroner following a suicide jump at known hot spot. Successfully staying a 'prevention of future death' (PFD) report and any enforcement action (2017)
