Rail crash inquiry lawyer criticised

Paddington: Lord Cullen to report victims' solicitor to Law Society for 'reprehensible' conduct

Lord Cullen, chairman of the Paddington rail disaster inquiry, has accused victims' solicitor Louise Christian of 'reprehensible' conduct for which he will report her to the Law Society.The announcement came as the first phase of the inquiry ended last week.Ms Christian, of London firm Christian Fisher, is head of the Ladbroke Grove Solicitors Group, which acts for 28 of the crash victims.

On Thursday, counsel for the Ladbroke Grove Solicitors Group, John Hendy QC, was due to give his final submissions to the inquiry.

However, Ms Christian arranged a press conference for Thursday morning and issued a press release summarising the contents of Mr Hendy's submissions.

In guidelines firmly laid down in May this year, Lord Cullen pointed out 'the obvious dangers if one party uses the media as a means of castigating another when the proper place is in the inquiry'.Counsel for the inquiry, Greg Treverton-Jones, contended before Lord Cullen on Friday morning that Ms Christian's press release contained an error.

It said that 'only half of the Great Western Trains run with Automatic Train Protection', but Mr Treverton-Jones said: 'Anybody with half an ear on the evidence that this enquiry has heard would know it was untrue.'Mr Treverton-Jones complained to Lord Cullen that Ms Christian had also issued a controversial press release during the Southall disaster inquiry, on which she also acted.Mr Hendy QC distanced himself from Ms Christian, telling Lord Cullen: 'How that statement came to be made, I do not know.'Lord Cullen said he had taken into account an apology he had received from Ms Christian, but went on: 'I regard her conduct in issuing the press release as reprehensible.

I have decided that I should refer her conduct to the Law Society for their consideration.'A spokesman for the Office for the Supervision of Solicitors said that no complaint had been received.

'If it is received, it will be investigated thoroughly and promptly,' he said.Ms Christian said she is currently unable to comment.

Jeremy Fleming