LAWYER IN THE NEWS

Who? Chris Saltrese, 42-year-old sole practitioner based in Southport.

Why is he in the news? Acted for Basil Williams-Rigby, a former care home worker sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment in 1999 for sexually abusing young boys.

His was the first conviction secured under Merseyside Police's notorious Operation Care regime, which involved contacting former residents and asking them if they would like to make a complaint.

The Court of Appeal freed him last week after new witnesses undermined the evidence of two of the complainants, rendering all of his convictions unsafe.

Background: BA and MA in international history (1979 to 1984) before travelling for two years.

Law Society finals at the Chester College of Law in 1988, then qualified with City firm Rowe & Maw - now Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw - where he stayed until 1993, when he set up on his own, specialising in defending clients in cases of retrospective allegations of abuse.

Route to the case: 'I have been involved with these types of cases for a number of years and Basil Williams-Rigby became aware of that, so he contacted me.'

Thoughts on the case: 'This decision is important because it signifies a willingness on the part of the Court of Appeal to accept that miscarriages of justice in care homes cases have occurred.

I hope this will be the first of many such appeals - which I believe could be upwards of 100 - of innocent care workers and teachers who have been wrongly convicted as a result of police trawling.'

Dealing with the media: 'The media in this case has been extremely helpful.

I have had the advantage of knowing and trusting the journalists involved and they have been of great assistance, both to this client and all those men who remain wrongly convicted.'

Paula Rohan