Legal watchdog may investigate over Alfie Evans case
UK - The Christian campaign group that acted for the family of Alfie Evans could face an investigation by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), the Guardian has learned.
The legal watchdog confirmed it was reviewing the Christian Legal Centre’s role in the high-profile lifesupport battle that ended with the death of the 23-month-old boy on Saturday, five days after he was removed from a ventilator. Three court of appeal judges criticized the role of supporters who may have “infiltrated or compromised” the legal representation of Alfie’s parents, Tom Evans and Kate James. The high court judge Mr Justice Hayden was particularly critical of the role of Pavel Stroilov, a Russian-born law student who appeared to have taken the lead in representing Alfie’s parents for the Christian Legal Centre (CLC). The judge described Stroilov, who formerly worked for the Ukip leader, Gerard Batten, as a “fanatical and deluded young man” whose legal advice was “inconsistent with the real interests of the parents’ case”. The SRA has not yet decided whether to launch a formal investigation but is assessing concerns surrounding the CLC’s involvement. An SRA spokesman said: “We can confirm we will review the information provided and consider if any next steps are appropriate. “Only those authorised by a legal services regulatory such as the SRA are allowed to carry out reserved legal activities, as defined within section 12 of the Legal Services Act 2007, within the English and Welsh legal system.” Tom Evans was presented with an award at Everton football club’s annual end-ofseason ceremony, the Dixies, on Tuesday in his first public appearance since Alfie’s . Receiving the Blueblood award, given to those who “embody the Evertonian spirit”, Evans said he had dreamed his son would follow in Wayne Rooney’s footsteps by playing for the club. “Alfie will always be a part of Everton,” he said. CLC has not yet responded to the SRA’s review of its role but said in a statement on Friday that it rejected the “unfair and detrimental” criticism by judges and commentators. It said that in the three weeks of its involvement, its barrister Paul Diamond “took the case from the high court to the court of appeal to the supreme court and to the European court and then back again to the high court and to the court of appeal. We can think of no other organization that would have achieved this in such a short period.”
(The Guardian)