Alex Blair

Articles

Third Insitute •

Fire or ICE? Mexico Sets the Course for Latin American Resistance to US Immigration Enforcement Clampdown

A coordinated Latin American response to the actions of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) remains implausible, however strong the case for one may be. When Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican construction worker, was shot and killed in Houston by ICE agents on 7 July, the Mexican government swore “forceful legal action” in response. Until now, several other Latin American nations had joined Mexico’s diplomatic resistance to ICE’s extrajudicial arrests and killings. Brazil...
Garden Court North Chambers •

Coroner identifies failings by community mental health and crisis teams which possibly contributed to the death of Imani Rigg

An inquest into the death of Imanie Rigg has found that failings by community mental health and crisis teams possibly contributed her death.

Following the conclusion of the inquest last Thursday (17 September 2026). Assistant Coroner Valerie Charbit identified repeated missed opportunities to prevent the death of Imani, who...
Garden Court North Chambers •

Christian Weaver represents Aalim Ahmed’s family at inquest into his high-rise tower death

Garden Court North’s Christian Weaver represented the family of Aalim Ahmed at the inquest into his tragic death, after the five-year-old fell from the 15th floor of a high-rise social housing flat in Plaistow, East London in May 2024.

During the inquest, which took place at East London Coroner’s Court, Assistant Coroner Wade found that Aalim died after he jumped from...
Garden Court North Chambers •

Garden Court North's Pragnya Iovine successfully defends vulnerable family of five from eviction

Garden Court North pupil Pragnya Iovine has successfully defended an eviction case brought by the Claimant landlord against the Defendant, ‘Mr E’, in a hearing on 14 August 2026.

Mr E is disabled and lives at the property with his wife and three children.

The landlord attempted to evict Mr E and his family using the former Section 21 notice for ‘no fau...
Garden Court North Chambers •

Mira Hammad and Rosalind Burgin represent protesters charged with criminal damage for demonstration at Israeli-linked factory

The jury continues to deliberate over criminal damage charges brought against four protesters who staged a demonstration at an aerospace factory they believe is involved in the supply of arms to Israel.

Garden Court North’s Mira Hammad and Rosalind Burgin represent co-defendants Hisham Alkhamesi and Hana Yun Stevens during the trial at Birmingham Crown Court, which today (17 June...
Garden Court North Chambers •

Garden Court North stands in solidarity with Rajiv Menon KC as he faces prosecution for contempt of court

Garden Court North members express solidarity with Rajiv Menon KC, a highly respected silk and member of Garden Court Chambers, who faces prosecution for contempt of court.

The alleged contempt concerns the closing speech that Rajiv delivered to a jury at the Woolwich Crown Court in January 2026, when he was defending pro-Palestine activists charged with criminal damage during direct action taken at a factory in Filton, Bristol, belongi...
Garden Court North Chambers •

Inquest into the death of Josh Perry bolsters calls for Gabe’s Law to prevent future car park deaths

Garden Court North’s Christian Weaver represented Josh Perry’s family during the inquest at Liverpool and Wirral Coroner’s Court (pictured). Credit: Liverpool & Wirral Coroner Area.

An inquest into the tragic death of Josh Perry has concluded that he died as a consequence of falling from the nineteenth floor of a multi-storey car park in Liverpool, bolstering calls for the introduction of ‘Gabe’s Law’ to increase the minimum height of car park barriers.

Such legislation would have prevented th...
Garden Court North Chambers •

Nina Grahame KC in The Times: retirement, theatre to law, vulnerable female defendants

Garden Court North’s Nina Grahame KC has been featured in The Times’ ‘In Conversation’ column, in which she discusses her pending retirement, the litany of high-profile criminal cases she acted on, and some of the key issues she has championed throughout her 33 years at the Bar.

The column, published today (16 April 2026), also chronicles some of Nina’s life before coming...
Garden Court North Chambers •

Covid-19 Inquiry’s Module 3 report: NHS was “on the brink of collapse” during the pandemic

The Covid-19 Inquiry’s Module 3 report has found that the NHS “teetered on the brink of collapse” during the pandemic, only surviving because of the “superhuman” efforts of healthcare workers.

The Inquiry’s report, published yesterday (19 March 2026) by Inquiry Chair Baroness Heather Hallett, set out a number of findings from Module 3, which investigated the pandemi...
Garden Court North Chambers •

High Court grants judicial review for disabled Somerset resident to challenge council tax reduction scheme

On 9 January 2026, the High Court granted a disabled Somerset resident, Andy Mitchell, permission to proceed with his judicial review challenging the lawfulness of Somerset Council’s tax reduction scheme.

Permission was given on all grounds (discrimination, rationality, and compliance with the public sector equality duty). The claim will proceed to a subs...
BBC News •

Garden Court North's Pete Weatherby KC calls on the Government to adopt amendment to Hillsborough Law

Amendment 23, which has cross-party support, removes the Government's exemption for secret services in Hillsborough Law's Duty of Candour, as called for by bereaved families from the Manchester Arena bombing in a letter to the Prime Minister last week.

MI5 officials misled the Manchester Arena Inquiry regarding intelligence it held about the attacker, running an "organisational false narrative".
Army Technology •

Airstrikes around Caracas as US “captures” Venezuelan President Maduro

Explosions rang out across the Venezuelan capital of Caracas in the early hours of 3 Janauary as the US Air Force “successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela”, according to President Trump.

Low-flying MH-47 Chinook helicopters flew into Caracas unopposed earlier on Saturday as US military personnel captured and flew President Nicolás Maduro and his wife out of the country in an unprecedented operation.CBS News reported that US officials said President Maduro had...
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