John Warrington, led by Fiona Scolding KC (Landmark Chambers) and together with Charles Bishop (Landmark Chambers), Sarah Hemingway (Garden Court Chambers) and Julia Farrant (Furnival Chambers), acted on behalf of the Defendant, Sir John Mitting, sitting as Chairman of the Undercover Policing Inquiry (UCPI).
The Divisional Court (Singh LJ and Jay J) upheld the issue of a notice by the Chairman of UCPI requiring a former Special Branch Detective Chief Inspector, who is resident overseas and who held a supervisory role over a secret undercover policing unit, to attend the inquiry and give oral evidence.
The Claimant, the Metropolitan Police Service Designated Lawyer Officers Core Participant Group, challenged the lawfulness of the notice by way of judicial review.
In dismissing the claim, the court held that there is a very strong public interest in ensuring that public inquiries have access to the information necessary to ensure their efficacy. This decision departs from the orthodox approach that a witness living abroad cannot be the subject of a notice requiring them to attend a public inquiry.
The full judgment can be viewed here.
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John Warrington is a barrister specialising in public law, crime, regulatory law and professional disciplinary proceedings. Within these fields, his principal areas of interest include public inquiries, serious organised crime, high-value financial crime, environmental law, health and safety and the regulation of healthcare professionals, He is ranked as a leading criminal barrister at the London Bar in Chambers and Partners UK Bar Guide and The Legal 500.
