Tony Badenoch, QC, at 6KBW College Hill, prosecuted the surgeon Simon Bramhall, who pleaded guilty to assaulting two patients by burning his initials on their livers during transplant operations. Bramhall was given a community order and fined £10,000.
What were the main challenges?
Presenting an unprecedented criminal case against a pre-eminent surgeon carried a weighty burden. It required knowledge of medical practice, General Medical Council (GMC) investigations — and I now know an inordinate amount about argon beam coagulation and cell destruction.
What’s the best decision you’ve taken?
Pursuing a multidisciplinary practice at this set. Criminal cases for both sides, regulatory and public law, advising the press and part-time judicial appointments provide constant challenges.
Who has inspired you?
My parents, a printer father and a teacher mother, both wartime children — still alive and inspirational. This set is the perfect sounding board for all things professional, as is Graham Trembath, QC, who reminds me I work too hard, frequently when he is lounging on the beach.
What’s the oddest thing that has happened to you?
The prosecution of detainee officers for the manslaughter of Jimmy Mubenga during his deportation led me to a scene visit of a parked Boeing 777, and rows of aircraft seats were reconstructed in court 16 at the Old Bailey.
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The best advice you’ve received?
Say as little as possible. Counterintuitive for an advocate, rarely what the client wants, but fundamental. Often a case is gifted by the other side revealing a valuable nugget unnecessarily.
Which three qualities should a lawyer have?
Flexibility in practice, an inherent sense of fairness, and the ability to self-criticise. Knowledge garnered from practice in coronial law and at the GMC was extremely useful in this criminal case.
What law would you enact?
The repeal of section 40 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 (Appeals to the Chief Coroner) was a missed opportunity to introduce real accountability in the coronial system.
How would you like to be remembered?
For being fair and decent, inspiring my family and others along the way, and having my ashes scattered from a firework.