Doughty Street Chambers

Criminal Law and Appeals Actions Against the Police and Public Authorities Professional Discipline and Regulation

Tom is a specialist criminal defence barrister with extensive experience of both Crown Court and appellate advocacy. Tom also has an expanding practice within the field of professional discipline and regulatory law, regularly appearing before a wide range of healthcare tribunals including the GDC, NMC and HCPC.

Within the field of criminal defence Tom is frequently entrusted to handle complex and serious cases covering a wide range of offences from high value frauds and those involving extreme violence to multi-handed drug trafficking cases and sexual offences, both recent and historic.

Within the field of professional discipline and regulatory law Tom has developed considerable experience advising and representing a wide range of medical and healthcare practitioners including nurses, midwives, speech and language therapists, physiotherapists and biomedical scientists before their respective disciplinary tribunals. He appears frequently before the fitness to practice committees of the NMC and HCPC in particular. Expanding on this work, Tom is now also regularly instructed to appear in cases before the GDC and advices on a wide range of issues from appeal to Rule 10 applications.

Given his expertise in criminal defence cases (where he has represented a number of professionals charged with criminal offences from teachers and doctors to healthcare workers), Tom is particularly well placed to deal with professional discipline matters involving quasi-criminal allegations and has represented Registrants, as well as appearing on behalf healthcare regulators, in conviction cases and those involving serious dishonesty charges.

Before joining Doughty Street Tom advised in several cases brought by the GMC, GDC, RPhS [as it was then] and the GSCS. In addition, he worked on the Mid-Staffordshire NHS Trust Public Inquiry chaired by Robert Francis QC and acted as temporary junior counsel in the case of Dr Al-Zayatt (the Consultant Paediatrician in the “Baby P” case) before the GMC.

Tom is also heavily involved in training in relation to healthcare regulation; most recently he has advised on the procedures involved in Interim Order Hearings before the NMC and he was invited to speak on the application of the public interest test within the context of Investigation Committee decisions within the GDC.

The Howard League for Penal Reform Amnesty International The Young Fraud Lawyers Association Criminal Bar Association

BA Hons in History, Bristol University LPC (1st Class) Nottingham Law School BVC (Outstanding) Nottingham Law School Taylor Prize, Nottingham Law School Blackstone Entrance Exhibition (Middle Temple) Kalisher Scholarship 2009