Barney Branston represents officer of Royal Gibraltar Police in inquest

Earlier this month Barney Branston was called to the Gibraltar Bar in order to represent an officer of the Royal Gibraltar Police in a coroner’s inquest before a jury.

On 8 March 2020 Barney’s lay client had been the co-pilot of a police ‘Interceptor’ vessel that was in pursuit of a Rigid Hulled Inflatable Boat suspected of being engaged in smuggling. The pursuit, which took place several miles out at sea at approximately 3am, reached speeds in excess of 50 knots. In the course of the pursuit the suspect vessel undertook a series of erratic turns to try to escape the police, a pursuit which concluded when the police vessel struck the rear of the suspect vessel as it turned sharply; two of the suspected smugglers lost their lives in that collision.

The inquest is due to conclude before Christmas.

Read more about this case in The Gibraltar Chronicle.