Kerstin Scheel and a fight for rights
Thursday 11 June 2009 by Jonathan Rayner
Who? Kerstin Scheel, 31, inquest and clinical negligence solicitor at south-west and Oxford firm Withy King.
Why is she in the news? Acting for John Hogan, 35, who in 2006 killed his six-year-old son by throwing him off the balcony of a hotel in Crete before jumping off the same balcony with his two-year-old daughter in his arms. Hogan was cleared of murder in 2008 when a Greek court ruled he had been suffering an ‘earthquake of psychosis’ when he jumped. He has now been told he is fit to return to the UK. Scheel is involved in planning for Hogan’s return to Britain, where he will be admitted to a psychiatric hospital.
Thoughts on the case: ‘This was an emotionally fraught case, with families involved in a state of utter turmoil. There was never going to be any “winner” in the proceedings. Mr Hogan’s counsel and I, however, felt it important that the legal position for the psychiatrically ill must be protected and their rights maintained.’
Dealing with the media: ‘I’m taking 10 calls a day from the media, which uses up a lot of my time. My biggest concern has been how some journalists were determined to be inflammatory and make an already tragic case even worse. They were biased against my client and utterly indifferent to his mental condition when the incidents happened.’
Why become a lawyer? ‘When I was at school in Northern Ireland, I did work experience with some local solicitors and decided medical and inquest work was fascinating.’
Career highlight to date: ‘Working with Richard Barcan [senior partner of Bristol firm Barcan Woodward] on complex catastrophic injury claims and assisting him with Court of Appeal cases.’
Career low-point: ‘Every time I’m reminded about the lack of funding available to families in inquest cases. It blocks access to the coronial process. I wish the system could be changed, but the government clearly doesn’t want to have to pay to improve access to justice.’
