Practice
Claims against the Police and Public Authorities: Leslie is a specialist in the "civil rights" torts against the police and police-related litigation, including false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, trespass to property/person and misfeasance in public office. There is a strong "human rights" dimension to his work. He has an extensive paperwork and trial work practice. He is a leading junior who handles very many difficult and complex police jury trials. He is a well-known jury advocate in this field, and is instructed nationally by firms of solicitors.
He is an active member of the Police Action Lawyers Group. He has been involved in several notable police cases including Winyard v Metropolitan Police (damages case), Hill v Metropolitan Police (leading damages case) and Lamothe v Metropolitan Police (on the illegitimacy of secret hearings brought by the police under the CPR).
He is a regular trainer in this field and provides annual training in this area for Legal Action Group and other groups.
Inquests: Leslie is also a well-known expert in the field of inquest law and this is an area of law dear to his heart. He devotes a great deal of his time providing his professional services pro bono to bereaved families who require representation at inquests, particularly in relation to deaths in police or prison custody.
Leslie believes passionately that families should receive the best possible representation at what is a difficult time for them. With his extensive advocacy skills he endeavours to ensure that the family's voice is heard. He has a particular interest in "restraint" related deaths, police shootings, and has a close working knowledge of the expert and medical literature surrounding the debate concerning positional/postural asphyxia and CS spray and its interrelationship with deaths in custody.
Leslie's experience in this area speaks for itself. He has been counsel for the family of the bereaved in a number of high-profile inquests including those touching the deaths of: Wayne Douglas (restraint/positional asphyxia death of young black man which sparked the 1995 Brixton riots), James Brady (open verdict, fatal police shooting), Ibrahim Sey (verdict of unlawful killing following restraint; this case was the first death in police custody in the UK following introduction of CS Spray by UK police forces in 1998), Michael Fitzgerald (death in custody following fatal police shooting following armed siege in 1998), Nathathan Delahunty (verdict of neglect following police restraint in 1999) and Christopher Alder (death in police custody, verdict of unlawful killing by reason of gross negligence). Three of his inquest cases are currently before the European Court of Human Rights awaiting decisions (Douglas, Brady and Fitzgerald). Recently he has been instructed as Counsel to the New Cross Fire case.
Leslie regularly speaks and provides training in the area of inquests. He is an active member of the INQUEST Lawyers Group and is on the management committee for INQUEST. He is one of the co-authors of Inquests - a practitioners? guide Legal Action Group (LAG).
Background
Leslie, former member of Wellington Street Chambers, started at the Bar in 1988. He joined Garden Court in 1989. He is a former lecturer at Westminster and Kingston Universities teaching criminal law and the law of evidence. He is exclusively a civil litigation specialist with particular emphasis on civil liberties and human rights.
Other activities
Former chair of Central London Law Centre and member of its management committee. He is on the Law Society Panel for the reform of inquests. He is a member of INQUEST management committee and a former director of the Civil Liberties Trust.
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