Diane Newton Chair of the INQUEST Board and Senior Policy Manager Expand Diane’s background is in psychology and counselling developing group and individual programmes. She has worked in the criminal justice sector for over 20 years including Turning Point, London Probation (as it was then called) and most recently at the Mayor’s Office for Policing And Crime for over eight years where she led on Health (specifically mental health and wider vulnerabilities). She has worked extensively with young people, women and more recently adult males in a forensic setting. Diane holds an MSc in Forensic Mental Health and has been a Magistrate since 2019. Diane became chair of the INQUEST board in February 2022.
Professor Steve Tombs Vice Chair of the INQUEST board and Professor of Criminology, Open University Expand Steve Tombs is Professor of Criminology at The Open University. He has a long-standing interest in the incidence, nature and regulation of corporate and state crime and harm. He has long worked with the Hazards movement and the Institute of Employment Rights, and was a founding member and Chair of the Centre for Corporate Accountability (1999-2009). He joined INQUEST as a Trustee and Board member in 2014, and became vice chair of the board in 2022.
Professor Joe Sim Professor of Criminology, Liverpool John Moores University Expand Joe Sim Is Professor of Criminology and Co-Director of the Centre for the Study of Crime, Criminalisation and Social Exclusion at Liverpool John Moores University. He was a member of Radical Alternatives to Prison and has written a number of books on prisons including British Prisons (with Mike Fitzgerald), Medical Power in Prisons and Punishment and Prisons.
Jennifer Nadel Writer and campaigner Expand Jennifer Nadel qualified as a barrister before becoming a campaigning journalist. She has reported for the BBC, Channel Four News and was ITV's Home Affairs Editor. Her book on Sara Thornton was made into a documentary and a BBC film and her report on the use of rape as a weapon of war in the former Yugoslavia was used by UN war crimes investigators. She is now a full-time writer and campaigner.
Ruth Bundey Partner, Harrison Bundey Solicitors Expand Ruth’s background is in race relations and criminal defence. Her first Inquest experience was judicially reviewing the Leeds Coroner concerned with the death of Helen Smith, a nurse in Jeddah, and winning the right for inquests to be held into the deaths of British nationals abroad. She continued to represent families from 1990 onwards following deaths in custody, despite a lack of funding, and acted in the Jamieson inquest where further higher court proceedings led to verdict restrictions. She still represents Janet Alder whose brother Christopher died on the floor of Hull Police Station, and continues to act in prison and police station deaths. She was recently involved in the Hillsborough Inquests on behalf of three families.
Kevin Blowe Coordinator, Network for Police Monitoring (Netpol) Expand Kevin joined INQUEST's board in 2010 and was a staff member the late 1990s. He is currently the coordinator for the Network for Police Monitoring, a coalition that brings together many of the UK's most experienced campaigners, lawyers and researchers to highlight and challenge public order policing that violates rights to freedom of assembly. For twenty-five years, Kevin was an activist and volunteer for the Newham Monitoring Project, an east London anti-racist organisation. He was also the secretary of the United Families & Friends Campaign between 1999 and 2009 and active in the family campaigns in support of the relatives of Jean Charles de Menezes and Ian Tomlinson.
Geraldine Isherwood (Treasurer) Finance Manager, Chelsea Apps Factory Expand Geraldine is a thoroughly experienced finance director and manager, having joined the Board of Trustees in 2009. Her previous work experience includes the Queen’s Nursing Institute, Chelsea Apps Factory, the Dystonia Society and Reach Volunteering.
Daniel Machover Solicitor, Hickman & Rose Expand Daniel joined the Board of Trustees of INQUEST in 2007. He qualified as a solicitor in 1998 and is a partner and head of the civil litigation department at London law firm Hickman & Rose. He specialises in civil litigation on behalf of people who have suffered wrongs at the hands of the criminal justice system and has brought many successful claims against the Ministry of Justice, Home Office and police. He has represented many families at inquests following contentious deaths and is a co-author of the Legal Action Group book ‘Inquests – A Practitioners Guide’ (2015, 3rd edition). He co-authors a regular inquest law update in Legal Action magazine. Daniel also works for victims of war crimes, torture and crimes against humanity, helping them seek prosecutions in the UK and elsewhere under the principle of universal criminal jurisdiction for such crimes. He is a trustee of Legal Action Worldwide, which helps gain access to justice for those who need it most in fragile and conflict-affected states. Daniel was chair of the INQUEST board for ten years until February 2022.
Rajiv Menon QC Criminal defence barrister, Garden Court Chambers Expand Rajiv joined the board of INQUEST in 2016, having been a supporter of the organisation for many years. He is a barrister and Queen’s Counsel at Garden Court Chambers, specialising in criminal defence, inquests, police actions and other related criminal justice work. He is particularly interested in cases involving human rights violations, miscarriages of justice, political protest and the abuse of power by the state. He was junior counsel for Dwayne Brooks at the Stephen Lawrence Public Inquiry, a landmark event in the history of race relations in the UK. He has represented many families of those who died in custody, including the families of Mikey Powell, Paul Coker and Adam Rickwood. More recently, he was leading counsel for ten of the bereaved families at the new inquests into the deaths of 96 Liverpool football supporters who were unlawfully killed at Hillsborough stadium. Rajiv is committed to holding power to account in the courts, in our communities and on the streets.
Sigrun Danielsson HR Manager, International Rescue Committee in Europe Expand Sigrun manages the HR function for the International Rescue Committee in Europe. She has been an HR Director and senior HR business partner for both private and non-profit organisations, most recently Christie’s and Teach First; and has managed HR functions in London, New York and Hong Kong. She has worked with variety of charities as a consultant, trustee and board member. Sigrun holds a MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics, has an LLB in Law and is a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
Pete Weatherby QC Barrister, Garden Court Chambers Expand Pete joined the board in March 2018. Pete is a human rights barrister who practices domestically in public inquiries, inquests, criminal, public, prison and police law. Pete led the team representing 22 of the bereaved Hillsborough families at the new inquests, and continues to act for them in a number of matters, including their campaign to get the Public Authorities (Accountability) Bill 2017 (Hillsborough Law) enacted (see www.thehillsboroughlaw.com). Since the conclusion of the Hillsborough inquests, Pete has appeared for the partner of Anthony Grainger at the Public Inquiry into his death (a police shooting) and advised lawyers for the victims of the Grenfell disaster.
Dr Patrick Williams Senior Lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University Expand Patrick joined the INQUEST Board of Trustees in 2021. He is a Senior Lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University, and undertakes research and publishes in the area of 'race' and ethnicity, with a particular focus on racial disparity, disproportionality and differential treatment within the Criminal Justice System. Patrick also advises and supports the development of interventions premised upon the principles of empowerment for a number of local and regional statutory and Voluntary and Community Sector organisations. In conjunction with colleagues in the Policy Evaluation and Research Unit (PERU - MMU), he was involved in the evaluation of short-term prisoner resettlement projects delivered by HMP Manchester and HMP Preston.