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  1. About us
  2. Our people
  3. Board

Board members

Our ten board members come from backgrounds in the law, academia and the media. You can find out more about their expertise by clicking the arrows next to their names.

Professor Steve Tombs

Professor of Criminology, Open University

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Steve is Professor of Criminology at the Open University, and was previously Professor of Sociology at Liverpool John Moores University (1998-2013). He has a long-standing interest in the incidence, nature and regulation of corporate and state crime and harm. His most recent books are Social Protection After the Crisis (Bristol: Policy Press, 2016) and, with David Whyte, The Corporate Criminal: why corporations must be abolished (London: Routledge, 2015). He has long worked with the Hazards movement in the UK 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.

Published: 16th March, 2017

Author: Laura Smith

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Professor Joe Sim

Professor of Criminology, Liverpool John Moores University

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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.

Published: 16th March, 2017

Updated: 29th January, 2018

Author: Laura Smith

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Jennifer Nadel

Writer and campaigner

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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. 

Published: 16th March, 2017

Updated: 6th September, 2017

Author: Laura Smith

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Ruth Bundey

Partner, Harrison Bundey Solicitors

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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.

Published: 16th March, 2017

Updated: 6th September, 2017

Author: Laura Smith

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Kevin Blowe

Coordinator, Network for Police Monitoring (Netpol)

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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.

Published: 16th March, 2017

Updated: 6th September, 2017

Author: Laura Smith

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Geraldine Isherwood (Treasurer)

Finance Manager, Chelsea Apps Factory

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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. 

Published: 16th March, 2017

Updated: 15th November, 2019

Author: Laura Smith

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Daniel Machover, (Chair)

Solicitor, Hickman & Rose

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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.

Published: 16th March, 2017

Updated: 20th March, 2017

Author: Laura Smith

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Rajiv Menon QC

Criminal defence barrister, Garden Court Chambers

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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.

Published: 20th March, 2017

Updated: 6th September, 2017

Author: Laura Smith

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Sigrun Danielsson

HR Manager, International Rescue Committee in Europe

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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.

Published: 13th November, 2017

Updated: 12th March, 2018

Author: Lucy McKay

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Pete Weatherby QC

Barrister, Garden Court Chambers

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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. 

Published: 12th March, 2018

Author: Sarah Uncles

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Diane Newton

Senior Policy Manager

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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.  

Published: 6th February, 2019

Updated: 23rd January, 2020

Author: Sarah Uncles

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Back to top

Showing 10 of 11

Latest

  • Gaps in Bristol community mental healthcare to be explored at inquest into death of Luke Naish

    Gaps in Bristol community mental healthcare to be explored at inquest into death of Luke Naish

    15 January 2021

  • Inquest into death of Ross Mackenzie to explore provision of community mental health services in Plymouth

    Inquest into death of Ross Mackenzie to explore provision of community mental health services in Plymouth

    15 January 2021

  • Inquest into the death of Leon Briggs following restraint by Bedfordshire Police to resume

    Inquest into the death of Leon Briggs following restraint by Bedfordshire Police to resume

    12 January 2021

  • NEWS: the National Family Fund is now open for applications

    NEWS: the National Family Fund is now open for applications

    11 January 2020

Most read

  • Jury finds series of failings contributed to self-inflicted death of 22-year-old woman on mental health ward

    Jury finds series of failings contributed to self-inflicted death of 22-year-old woman on mental health ward

    25 July 2018

  • Deaths in police custody

    Deaths in police custody

  • Deaths in prison

    Deaths in prison

  • About INQUEST

    About INQUEST

    INQUEST is the only charity providing expertise on state related deaths and their investigation to bereaved people, lawyers, advice and support agencies, the media and parliamentarians.

  • Work for us

    Work for us

  • Family of Gaia Pope call for answers as the IOPC announce investigation into Dorset Police following the death of the missing teenager

    Family of Gaia Pope call for answers as the IOPC announce investigation into Dorset Police following the death of the missing teenager

    6 April 2018

  • Help and advice

    Help and advice

    We provide free and independent advice to bereaved people following a death in state care or detention in England and Wales, and in other cases where wider issues of state and corporate accountability are in question.

  • Useful resources

    Useful resources

    INQUEST has produced two invaluable resources for families and friends going through an inquest, and for those who would like to know more about their rights following a death.

  • Coroner concludes care of Oliver McGowan was ‘appropriate’ despite parents pleas not to use medication which led to the teenagers death

    Coroner concludes care of Oliver McGowan was ‘appropriate’ despite parents pleas not to use medication which led to the teenagers death

    20 April 2018

  • BAME deaths in police custody

Tag cloud

Adam Rickwood Blair Peach Dennis Stevens Hassockfield Hassockfield Secure Training Centre inquest mental health Met met police metropolitan police police restraint rashan charles restraint Roger Sylvester Sean Rigg Shiji Lapite
Now or Never! Legal aid for inquests

Now or Never! Legal aid for inquests

Join the campaign demanding automatic non means tested funding for legal representation following state related deaths. #LegalAidForInquests Read more

Published: 26th February, 2019

Updated: 25th August, 2020

Author: Lucy McKay

Related topics:
  • INQUEST CAMPAIGNS

Latest tweet

  • 5 days prior Luke's death he attended A&E requesting support & expressing suicidal intent. However his request to b… https://t.co/r6re2DD0b7

    15thJanuary, 2021 @inquest_org
  • The inquest into the death of Ross Mackenzie opens on Monday and will explore the provision of community mental hea… https://t.co/E2CnHLcJCZ

    15thJanuary, 2021 @inquest_org
  • Coroner criticises a care home of a “significant management failure” after Patrick Casey choked to death The coron… https://t.co/5QtotYzwqu

    15thJanuary, 2021 @inquest_org

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INQUEST covers England and Wales. Charitable Trust Registered Charity No. 1046650. Registered Company No. 03054853