Lawyer of slain Red Caps also acted for Iraqis
THE families of three Red Caps murdered by a mob i n Iraq ditched a controversial lawyer amid claims he was also representing their alleged killers.
Relatives of corporals Simon Miller and Russell Aston and Lance Corporal Thomas Keys dropped Phil Shiner over concerns he had a ‘disgusting’ conflict of interest.
Mr Shiner’s Public Interest Lawyers is representing Iraqi families at the £22million Al Sweady Inquiry into claims that British soldiers tortured and abused detainees in 2004.
The Red Cap families believe some of those taking legal action were ‘directly or indirectly responsible’ for the deaths of the Royal Military Policemen a year earlier.
Last night John Miller, 63, the father of Cpl Miller, said: ‘I believe there is a conflict of interest involving Phil Shiner because both cases are inextricably linked. We feel betrayed by him.
‘It is disgraceful, utterly disgusting, that he would try to represent us while having the Iraqis on his books who I believe are the main antagonists.’
Cpl Aston, 30, Cpl Miller, 21, and L/ Cpl Keys, 20, plus Corporal Paul Long, 24, Sergeant Simon Hamilton- Jewell, 41, and Lance Corporal Benjamin Hyde, 23, were slaughtered in Majar al-Kabir, near Basra, in 2003.
They were cornered by hundreds of locals at a police station then executed. Their killers have never been brought to justice.
The relatives first had contact with Mr Shiner in 2011. Out of frustration at questions over their loved ones’ deaths not being answered satisfactorily by the MoD, four families accepted his offer to fight their case.
Only one relative, Patricia Long – mother of Cpl Long – was granted legal aid. But after learning that the lawyer was also involved in the Al Sweady case, three families backed out.
Mr Shiner, 57, has represented alleged victims of abuses by troops, including relatives of Baha Mousa, who died i n 2003 i n British custody.
In an email to Mr Miller, Mr Shiner denied any conflict of interest. He said: ‘For obvious reasons, I did the most careful conflict of interest checking process before I agreed to take on Pat Long’s case.
‘I can assure you that that exercise has been conducted and that there is no conflict of interest.’
He was not available for comment yesterday.
But a legal source told the Mail that because the Red Caps and Al Sweady cases were separate, it was unlikely a conflict of interest would occur, even though there were links.