Alex Blair

Comms

See below the news and media items Alex has coordinated through his communications and human rights work. NOTE - some of these pieces are not written solely by Alex nor are they his intellectual property.

Garden Court North Chambers •

Metropolitan Police firearms officer lawfully killed Giedrius Vasiljevas, inquest jury finds

An inquest jury has found that Giedrius Vasiljevas was lawfully killed by a Metropolitan Police firearms officer, who fatally shot Giedrius at his home in Dagenham on 23 November 2023.

Giedruius, a 40-year-old Lithuanian man, had a history of alcohol use and mental ill health, for which he had unsuccessfully been trying to get help from his GP and othe...
Garden Court North Chambers •

Covid-19 Inquiry’s Module 2 Report finds “inexcusable” mistakes and delayed lockdown led to 23,000 avoidable deaths

The Covid-19 Public Inquiry has published its second report investigating the government decision-making in the UK’s response to the pandemic, which determined that “inexcusable” mistakes and delays in imposing a lockdown led to approximately 23,000 avoidable deaths in the first wave leading up until 1 July 2020.

Baroness Hallett DBE, the Chair of the Inquiry, made 22 key findings about the emergence of...
The Independent •

Boris Johnson could face legal action over pandemic failings after damning report

Boris Johnson was branded a “coward” as it emerged he could face legal action over the failures during the pandemic that led to 23,000 excess deaths – as families who lost loved ones to Covid call for him to be barred from public life.After the Covid inquiry found that thousands of lives could have been spared if the country had locked down a week earlier and that the culture at the heart of No 10 contributed to the government’s pandemic failings, the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK gr...
ITV News •

Dad who took his own life after council seized home 'was treated like number'

Alistair's brother and father spoke to ITV Granada Reports presenter Gamal Fahnbulleh. The family of a dad-of-four who took his own life after his home was subjected to a Compulsory Purchase Order say he was treated "like a number on a spreadsheet". Alistair Taylor, 34, was found dead at his home in 2024 after Blackpool Council issued him with the legal order just one year after his barbershop lease was also brought to an end at a local market.
The Guardian •

‘There is a gap where Alex should be’: the young woman who lost her life in a neglectful prison system

“There is a gap or a space where Alex should be,” Stacie Davies said. “Wherever I am, she’s not there.”

At just 25 years old, her daughter, Alex Davies, was found dead in her segregation cell at Styal prison in Cheshire on Christmas Eve last year. She had been sent to prison after pleading guilty to offences including criminal damage and possession of a knife, which she had committed while in mental health crisis. The expectation was that when Alex was sentenced, she would receive a hospital order,...
Garden Court North Chambers •

Court of Appeal grants Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori a judicial review

On 17 October, the Court of Appeal confirmed that Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori could pursue a judicial review against the organisation’s proscription by the Home Office.

Three judges, including the Lady Chief Justice, Sue Carr, upheld Mr Justice Chamberlain’s decision to grant the judicial review in July. In September, the Home Office appealed on the...
Garden Court North Chambers •

Three years after his inquest, Awaab's Law comes into force

After years of campaigning, Awaab’s Law has today (27 October 2025) been passed into law.

It honours the legacy of two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who tragically died in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, in 2020 due to “prolonged exposure” to mould in his home, a coroner concluded. Awaab’s family and NHS staff repeatedly reported the issue to the social housing provider, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, but the problem remained unresolved.

Garde...
BBC News •

Awaab’s Law: Why so many UK homes still have a mould problem

Kyle (not his real name) had been living in his three-bedroom house in Greater Manchester with his pregnant wife and two children for a few weeks when he first noticed the mould in the bedroom.He wiped it away but when it returned quickly, he realised there was a serious problem."It spread through the bedrooms and all through the walls,” he recalls. “Plug sockets used to blow because the water had gotten into them.”Clothes, toys, beds and televisions had to be thrown away. The family ended up sl...
Garden Court North Chambers •

Georgia Barter’s inquest concludes in finding of unlawful killing resulting from domestic abuse

Georgia Barter died at Kings College Hospital on 26 April 2020, after being violently assaulted by her partner on or around 5 April 2020 and taking a fatal overdose. She had been subjected to around a decade of domestic abuse by her partner.

The inquest into Georgia’s death found that she was unlawfully killed and died as a result of domestic abuse. This...
The Guardian •

Legal challenge to Palestine Action ban can go ahead, court rules

A legal challenge to the ban on Palestine Action can go ahead next month after the court of appeal rejected the Home Office’s attempt to block the case.In a blow to the government, on Friday, three judges, led by the lady chief justice, Sue Carr, upheld Mr Justice Chamberlain’s decision to grant the Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori a judicial review of the group’s proscription under the Terrorism Act.The ban, the first on a direct action group, came into effect on 5 July, categorising it...
The Guardian •

Georgia’s story: how a domestic abuse victim’s suicide was ruled an unlawful killing by her partner

On 26 April 2020 Georgia Barter, a long-term victim of domestic abuse, died in hospital after taking a fatal overdose of painkillers. Last week, in an extraordinary verdict, a coroner ruled that Georgia, 32, was unlawfully killed by her abusive partner.A court heard how GPs, nurses and police officers all had chances to intervene in Thomas Bignell’s violent campaign against Georgia, but failed to do so.At the conclusion of the hearing, there were gasps in the courtroom. It is believed to be only...
BBC •

BBC Radio 4 - The Law Show, How can avoidable deaths be prevented?

Hundreds of recommendations are made following inquests and public inquiries like the one into the Grenfell fire. Yet no system is in place to ensure future deaths are prevented.The phrase “State related deaths” might mean little to the average person, but it's an umbrella term referring to a death in custody or a mental health setting. It also applies to situations when people have taken their own lives while in the armed forces or even to disasters like Grenfell or Hillsborough....
Manchester Evening News •

'No one in this country should have to live in a home that leaves them sick'

Four and half years after Awaab Ishak died aged two due to mould at his home in Rochdale, change is finally coming. The first measures under Awaab's Law will come into force in October with MPs due to debate the new rules on Monday (July 21). Christian Weaver, a barrister at Garden Court North Chambers, represented the Ishak family during the inquest into Awaab's tragic death. He continued to represent the family throughout the campaign that followed - to make Awaab's Law a reality. He joined th...
Daily Mirror •

Pandemic saw 'generational slaughter' as virus swept through care homes

Bereaved relatives have described their heartbreaking final moments with loved ones in care homes during the pandemic.

The Covid-19 Inquiry heard from families and care workers how the virus swept through homes “like wildfire”. Care workers held up iPads and got elderly people to touch the screen during video calls with loved ones when they couldn’t say their final goodbyes in person. The latest module on the care sector will hear testimony from bereaved families who were unable to see loved on...
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