Inquiry Chair
Her Honour Judge Sarah Munro KC
Her Honour Judge Sarah Munro KC was called to the Bar by Inner Temple in 1984. She practised on the Western Circuit from Walnut House Chambers, specialising in criminal work, including homicide, serious fraud, serious sexual offences, and drug offences including importation. She also conducted prosecutions for HM Revenue and Customs. Sitting as an Assistant Coroner for East London, she held the inquests into deaths of four victims who were murdered by Stephen Port. She was also the first person to deliver televised sentencing remarks.
HHJ Munro KC was appointed a Crown Court Recorder in 1998, Queen’s Counsel in 2002, a Circuit Judge in 2011 and a Senior Circuit Judge at the Central Criminal Court in 2017. She has also served as a judicial member of the Sentencing Council.
Counsel Team
Sophie Cartwright KC: Counsel to the Inquiry
Sophie Sophie Cartwright KC was called to the Bar in 1998 following a criminal pupillage. Sophie previously acted as Counsel to the Manchester Arena Inquiry, the Anthony Grainger Inquiry and the Jalal Uddin Inquiry. Sophie is one of the KC team of Counsel to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry. Sophie has also advised and acted for participants in numerous other Inquiries.
Sophie specialises in public inquiries, inquests (including regularly acting as Counsel to the Inquest), public law, regulatory and disciplinary proceedings. Sophie is Co-Chair of the Greater Manchester Pro Bono Committee; the Northern Circuit Pro Bono representative and a member of the Attorney General’s Pro Bono Committee. Sophie sits as a Recorder in the Crown Court, as a Judge of the Restricted Patient Panel (RPP) in the Mental Health Review Tribunal and as an Assistant Coroner. Sophie also sits as a member of the Capture Redress Scheme: independent panel, which provides compensation to Postmasters who suffered financial shortfalls due to the Capture software.
Sophie is a Master of the Bench at Inner Temple.
David Ormerod
David Ormerod is the Professor of Criminal Justice at University College, London. Between 2010-2019 he was the Criminal Law Commissioner for England and Wales. He is a barrister, a Bencher of Middle Temple and a Bencher of the Inns of Court of Northern Ireland. He is a Deputy High Court Judge in the King’s Bench Division.
David has been involved in delivering training for the Judicial College on criminal courses for over 20 years. In 2013 he was appointed QC (Honoris Causa), and in 2018 he was appointed a CBE for services to criminal justice.
Megan Millar
Megan is a barrister at 6KBW College Hill and has a varied criminal and public law practice, with a particular focus on inquests, inquiries and judicial review. She is a member of the Attorney General’s C panel of counsel and is recognised as a “rising star” by Legal 500 in the area of inquests and inquiries.
Megan is often instructed in high-profile cases involving intersections between multiple areas of law, including acting as junior counsel to the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry and the Patrick Finucane Inquiry.
Solicitor to the Inquiry
Farhana Rahman-Cook
Farhana is an experienced inquiry lawyer and has held key roles in other independent inquiries. She is the Solicitor to The Nottingham Inquiry and led two phases at the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry.
She represented the DHSC, a Core Participant in the Infected Blood Inquiry, and has represented witnesses on numerous other inquiries including the Iraqi Fatality Investigation, Thirlwall and Angiolini.
Farhana previously specialised in criminal defence, becoming Equity Partner and Department Head at an established criminal defence firm. She later joined the Crown Prosecution Service’s Proceeds of Crime Department as a District Crown Prosecutor. Farhana is a judicial office holder and member of the Parole Board.
Secretary to the Inquiry
Gaby Perrott
As Secretary to the Inquiry, Gaby’s role is to report to the Chair and act as the main contact between the Inquiry and the Ministry of Justice. Gaby works to and for the Inquiry and it is her job to assist the Inquiry in whatever way necessary to fulfil the Terms of Reference. Gaby is also responsible for the wider Inquiry team.
Gaby is an experienced civil servant who has held a range of senior policy and operational roles across the Ministry of Justice and arm’s length bodies.