Year of Call: 2004
Areas of practice
Claire specialises in Immigration, Asylum and Human Rights. She is instructed in matters before the Immigration and Asylum Chamber, the High Court and the Court of Appeal.
Claire has particular expertise in challenges to removal under the Dublin Regulation and has appeared in a number of reported cases, listed below.
She also has particular experience in cases involving a cross-over with Crime. Prior to practising at the Bar, Claire worked in a solicitors’ firm working on terrorism trials most notably R v Ibrahim & Ors, involving the first ever prosecution of failed suicide bombers following the attempted terrorist attacks on 21st July 2005. In this way she has an insight into the work of solicitors and interacts well with lay clients.
Claire has a background in human rights, having previously worked at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. She has international legal expertise having worked at the International Criminal Court in the Hague, advising on international law and the human rights of defendants and victims.
She has worked with human rights and other voluntary organisations including Justice, Redress and FRU.
In suitable cases Claire will undertake public access work directly for members of the public.
Notable cases
MC (Guinea) & Ors, R (on the application of) v SSHD [2013] EWCA Civ 922 (26 July 2013) – stay of removal pending outcome of JR proceedings and no stay of proceedings pending EM (Eritrea), in a case concerning Dublin II removal to Cyprus.
Ehmed v SSHD [2013] EWHC 876 (Admin) (18 April 2013) – stay of proceedings in a Dublin II case.
Al-Ali v SSHD [2012] EWHC 3638 (Admin) (04 December 2012) – JR challenge to return of asylum-seeker to Dublin II state from which he had been ‘refouled’.
Sathasivam v SSHD [2012] EWHC 3243 (Admin) (23 October 2012) – successful challenge to refusal of fresh claim where ‘fresh evidence’ was son’s refugee status.
Bashir & Ors v Administrator of the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri & Dhekelia & the Secretary of State for Defence [2011] – first ever JR challenge before the Sovereign Base Areas Court in Cyprus concerning refugees.
Elayathamby v SSHD [2011] EWHC 2182 (Admin) (11 August 2011) – JR challenge to return of a Tamil mandate refugee to Cyprus under Dublin II.
DA008942013 [2013] UKAITUR DA008942013 (30 October 2013) – deportation appeal raising issues under Article 8 and the best interests of the children, applying the recent judgments in MF (Nigeria) and SS (Nigeria).
DA006032013 [2013] UKAITUR DA006032013 (24 September 2013) – successfully opposed an appeal by the SSHD in a deport appeal raising risk on return to Sri Lanka.
AA007642013 [2013] UKAITUR AA007642013 (22 July 2013) – Article 8 appeal.
US and MV (PBS applicants from same family) Malaysia [2010] UKUT 167 (IAC) – appeal allowed – a valid application is not invalidated by the presence in the same envelope of an invalid application by a member of the same family.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/8513989/Robber-spared-deportation-because-he-has-a-girlfriend.html – successfully opposed an appeal by the SSHD in an Article 8 deportation case.
Memberships
ILPA, BHRC, HRLA, ALBA, ICC Alumni, BID
Qualifications
LLM Human Rights Law, LLB
Hardwicke Scholarship (Lincoln’s Inn)
Peter Duffy Award (Lincoln’s Inn)
Other relevant information
Claire is fluent in Greek and has a basic understanding of French and Italian.