Alex Blair

Articles

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...
Garden Court North Chambers •

Garden Court North in 2025: A Year in Review

As 2025 draws to a close, the full team at Garden Court North would like to thank all of our close partners and allies who have contributed to another impactful year of supporting people’s rights through justice.

Our team wanted to take the opportunity to reflect on the key cases our Members undertook in 2025, ahead of what will be a momentous year as we celebrate our 30th anniversary in 2026.

January – March

The...
Garden Court North Chambers •

“Further vindication of what we already knew”: IOPC releases report on police’s mishandling of Hillsborough disaster

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has today (2 December 2025) published its report into the mishandling of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, at which 97 Liverpool Football Club supporters were unlawfully killed.

The IOPC’s report stated that 12 police officers would have faced gross misconduct cases over Hillsborough if they were st...
Mining Technology •

Australia eyes Indonesia’s nickel in its play for critical mineral supremacy

A mere day after swearing in his cabinet on 14 May, freshly re-elected Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese boarded a flight from Canberra to Jakarta, signifying to the world the importance his government places in the relationship with its northerly neighbours. 

Waiting to greet Albanese for the first overseas visit of his second term was Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto. While there was undoubtedly much to discuss during their Indonesia-Australia Annual Leaders’ Meeting, Albanese...
Mining Technology •

China’s Trump card: using rare earth elements as geopolitical bargaining chips

When camouflage-clad, rifle-carrying rebels from the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) led an offensive to seize the northern town of Pangwa near the Myanmar-China border last October, few recognised the international implications.

It marked the latest escalation in a seven-decade-long civil conflict between Myanmar’s brutal military regime and hundreds of armed groups like the KIA, rooted in the resource-rich provinces spanning China, Thailand, India and Myanmar.More significantly, the KIA’s of...
DSEI 2025 •

Norwegian Navy Chief calls on NATO and private sector to protect critical undersea infrastructure

RADM Berdal’s calls come amid a growing number of sabotage attacks on CUI in the Baltics.

As sabotage of critical undersea infrastructure (CUI) continues to rise, Norway’s local authorities, NATO partners and private sector companies must collaborate to maximise its protection, Rear Admiral (RADM) Oliver Berdal, Chief of the Royal Norwegian Navy, told DSEI on 3 March.

“One of the most important things when it comes to protecting our critical underwater infrastructure is working very closely...
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