Christopher Gillespie

Inquests & Public Inquiries

As a result of his practice in health and safety cases and professional discipline matters Chris acts for interested parties at inquests.

Recent and notable cases include:

• Acting for the crowd management company at the public inquiry into the Manchester Arena bombing on 22 May 2017 which resulted in the deaths of 22 people.
• Acting on behalf of a corporate client in the Zane Gbangbola inquest which attracted substantial publicity because of the family’s claims that their son’s death had resulted from hydrogen cyanide poisoning from contaminated land owned by Chris’ client; after a six-week inquest the Coroner concluded that death was as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning from a petrol pump in the family home.
• Acting for a Doctor in relation to an examination of a prison inmate who died within days of the examination.  Acting for a Doctor in relation to the over-prescription of opiates to a drug addict.
• Acting for a company whose employee died in an accident off site when his tipper truck overturned.  Acting for a non-secure children’s care home where a child absconded and died.
• Acting for a care home where concerns, subsequently dismissed, had been raised concerning the treatment and care of an elderly resident.
• Acting for a care home where there was an issue as to when pressure sores had developed and to what extent, if any, they had contributed to death.