EWJ FEB 59 2025 web - Flipbook - Page 48
Mr Jason Hill
Fire Safety Consultant
CEng, CMEngNZ, FIFireE, MFireInv, C.Build E MCABE, LETAPAEWE, MSc, BSc (Hons)
A highly qualified Chartered Fire Safety Engineer, he has over 25 years’ experience
within fire safety/fire engineering within highly regulated industries, such as Power
& Utilities (Nuclear), Industrial & Manufacturing and Residential Buildings sectors.
Jason is an active member of many fire professional communities, he Chaired the
Nuclear Industry Fire Safety Coordination Committee (2017 – 2019), he is the Chair
of the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE) Special Interest Group for Industrial Fire
and Risk, a Senior Examiner for the IFE, IFE Global Director and a BSI Committee
member for various work streams, As such he has a detailed understanding for
human behaviour during fire, his work supported the new development of 7974
Part 6:2019, application of fire safety engineering principles to the design of
buildings and is a BSI technical steering group member for review of Approved
Document B guidance to the Building Regulations relating to means of escape for
disabled people. In addition, Jason is BSI committee member for development of
PAS9980 Fire risk appraisal and assessment of external wall construction and
cladding of existing blocks of flats – Code of practice.
In previous roles he was responsible for leading fire research, fire analysis and event
/ loss investigation activities, regulatory and/or legal support services and applied
safety case analysis, fire engineering and material science understanding to conduct
external wall analysis for buildings of all sizes.
He established Fire Investigation Risk Evaluation Consultancy Ltd in 2014 to
provide a specific, bespoke, and high-quality services providing fire investigation
and risk evaluation worldwide.
Contact: Fire Investigation Risk Evaluation Consultancy Limited
or F.I.R.E. Consultancy Ltd for short.
Tel: +44 (0)7803 518035 - Mobile: 07803 518 035
Email: jason@fireconsultancy.co.uk - Website: www.fireconsultancy.co.uk
Address: Ty Abraham, Tre Neddyn Farm, Llanedy, Pontarddulais, Swansea, SA4 0FP
Area of work: Nationwide and International
After Almost 20 Years and Two Appeals to the
Court of Appeal, Two Wrongful Convictions
for Double Murder are Finally Quashed
A team of Doughty Street barristers have succeeded in overturning the wrongful convictions of
Robert and Lee Firkins for the brutal double murder of Graham and Carol Fisher at Perch
Garage in Cornwall on fireworks night 2003 during a home-invasion robbery.
James Wood KC and Sarah Elliott KC were both part
of the original defence teams representing the two
brothers accused of the Fishers’ murders. The case
was dependent on alleged “cell confession” evidence
provided by a prisoner witness. After representing the
defendants at trial in early 2006 and first appeal in
2008, James and Sarah were to work pro-bono and
tirelessly on the case, together with their heroic solicitors Jane Hickman (of Hickman Rose) and Rhona
Friedman (of Commons solicitors) to eventually persuade the CCRC to refer the case back to the Court of
Appeal in 2020. On Jane’s retirement, Steve Bird of
Birds Solicitors joined the team. Finally in 2023, they,
along with Farrhat Arshad KC, were successful in
over-turning the convictions in the CACD. The case
was due to be listed for retrial in January 2025 with
David Rhodes and Philippa Eastwood joining the
team for trial. Finally, on the 16th December 2024, the
Crown offered no evidence, as they accepted there
was no realistic prospect of conviction.
James and Sarah commented: “From the moment of
these convictions, we knew the case was a gross
miscarriage of justice. Based on alleged an cell
confession, it illustrated the inherent dangers of this
kind of evidence. The time is now ripe for legal reform. Without independent reliable evidence supportive of the fact of the confession, cell confession
evidence is so dangerous, it should always be excluded. This reform is now long overdue.” They continued, “Without the endless diligence and unpaid
work of our solicitors over many years, and work of
Farrhat, David and Philippa in more recent times, this
victory would never have happened. We pay tribute to
them all”.
Sarah Elliott KC, Farrhat Arshad KC and Philippa
Eastwood were instructed for Robert Firkins by
Rhona Friedman of Commons Legal; James Wood
KC and David Rhodes for Lee Firkins were instructed
by Steve Bird, Birds Solicitors.
You can access the Court of Appeal judgment here.
https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ewca/crim/2023/1491
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