Chair of the Inquiry
Sir Adrian Fulford
Sir Adrian Fulford has an extensive legal background, particularly on issues relating to policing and the criminal justice system.
He was called to the Bar in 1978 and became a Queen’s Counsel in 1994. He was made a Recorder of the Crown Court in 1995, and was appointed as a High Court Judge in November 2002, assigned to the Queen’s Bench Division.
Sir Adrian was a presiding judge of the South-Eastern Circuit from 2009 until appointed as a Lord Justice of Appeal in May 2013. He served as the Senior Presiding Judge from January 2016 until March 2017.
He is a retired Lord Justice of Appeal and former judge of the International Criminal Court 2003 to 2012. Previously, he was the Vice-President of the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) in 2019 and was the first Investigatory Powers Commissioner between 2017 to 2019.
Counsel to the Inquiry
Nicholas Moss KC
Nicholas Moss KC is a barrister at Temple Garden Chambers who specialises in public inquiries and complex inquests, including in relation to national security, military, policing, custodial and healthcare matters.
His experience as counsel to inquiries and counsel to inquests (CTI) includes: The Forbury Gardens terror attack inquests; The Baha Mousa Public Inquiry (with subsequent lecturing work on HM Armed Forces’ training courses on the importance of implementation of the recommendations); The Detainee Inquiry; The Gleision mining disaster; and inquests into the deaths of Khalil Dale (unlawful killing of Red Cross worker), Thomas Orchard and Aston Mclean (both cases of death following police contact).
In addition to his work as CTI, he has been instructed by participants in many of the UK’s other major public inquiries and Judge-led inquests in the last 25 years. Examples include: The Covid-19 Inquiry; The Infected Blood Inquiry; The Westminster terror attack inquests; The Undercover Policing Inquiry; the Judge-led inquests into the deaths of Benjamin McQueen (military diving fatality) and each of the deaths at Deepcut Barracks; The Rosemary Nelson Inquiry; The Billy Wright Inquiry, The Bloody Sunday Inquiry; and The BSE Inquiry.
As a junior barrister, he was a member of the Attorney General’s panel of civil advocates for over 20 years. He sits part time as an Assistant Coroner in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Coroner area.
Alex Jamieson
Alex Jamieson is a barrister at 25 Bedford Row. He has appeared at many major public inquiries, both on behalf of core participants and as Counsel to the Inquiry. He is currently instructed as CTI to Sir Gary Hickinbottom in the Patrick Finucane Inquiry and in 2024/25, he represented the victims of Lucy Letby at Lady Justice Thirlwall’s Inquiry. Before that, between 2019 and 2022 he served as first junior counsel for bereaved families of those killed in the Manchester Arena Bombing. He has also been instructed in relation to the Independent Inquiry in relation to Afghanistan, the Undercover Policing Inquiry, the Dawn Sturgess Inquiry and the inquest into the killing of the Deepcut soldier Geoff Gray.
Alex is also an experienced Special Advocate and has been an appointee of the Attorney General’s panel since 2017. He has detailed knowledge of the investigation and litigation of national security and counterterrorism issues, and has appeared in many of the leading cases in recent years.
Richard Boyle
Richard Boyle is a barrister at Temple Garden Chambers with a broad practice including: inquests and inquiries, public law, human rights, personal injury and clinical negligence. Richard has particular experience of complex and high profile inquests and inquiries which involve issues of national security. He has appeared in: the Fishmongers’ Hall Inquests, the Inquest into the death of Sudesh Amman (who died while committing a terror attack on Streatham High Road), the Manchester Arena Inquiry, the Inquests arising out of the terror attack in Forbury Gardens in Reading (as Counsel to the Inquests), the Dawn Sturgess Inquiry and the Inquest into the death of Rhiann Rudd (the youngest person to have been charged with terror offences in the UK).
Genevieve Woods
Genevieve Woods is a barrister at 3 Raymond Buildings with extensive experience in inquests and public inquiries. She has specialist expertise in safeguarding and police law. Genevieve has previously been instructed in the Cranston Inquiry, the Covid Inquiry, the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, the Fishmongers Hall Inquests, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse and the Undercover Policing Inquiry, among others. Her practice covers criminal proceedings, regulatory law, police law and child protection.
Harriet Wakeman
Harriet Wakeman is a barrister at Landmark Chambers, specialising in public inquiries, inquests and public law. Harriet has extensive experience acting both as counsel to the inquiry/inquest, and for core participants. Harriet has been instructed in many of the major public inquiries and inquests over the past five years including: the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, the Brook House Inquiry, the Dawn Sturgess Inquiry, the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, the Cranston Inquiry and the Bugaled Breizh inquests.
Solicitor to the Inquiry
Ross Howarth
Ross Howarth is a government lawyer who joined the Government Legal Department from private practice in 2014. Ross has had a number of roles in GLD working on national security and public law cases. He was Deputy Solicitor to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry from 2017 to 2024 and Deputy Solicitor to the Southport Inquiry throughout phase 1. Ross was appointed a Deputy District Judge in 2024 and sits regularly in the County Court.
Secretary to the Inquiry
Russell Knight
Russell Knight is the Secretary to the Southport Inquiry, responsible for advising and supporting the Chair and leading the Inquiry Secretariat. He has extensive experience in public inquiries, strategic communications, and stakeholder engagement.
Prior to joining the Southport Inquiry, Russell served as Deputy Secretary to the Angiolini Inquiry, where he led the delivery of its second report. He was also Director of Communications and Engagement at the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery, supporting efforts to provide information to victims, survivors, and families affected by deaths and serious injuries during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Earlier in his career, he spent five years at the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse and held senior leadership roles in the youth sector, including Deputy Director for the South of England at The King’s Trust.
Kate Anderson, Caroline Featherstone and John Goss who all provided invaluable support to the Inquiry in Phase 1 have now moved on. The Chair is grateful for their contributions.