Instructing Christina Lyons
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Christina Lyons specialises in public inquiries, inquests and abuse litigation. Her practice focuses on cases concerning state accountability, including those engaging Articles 2, 3 and 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights, public authority decision-making, and the protection of vulnerable children and adults. She is instructed by state bodies and local authorities in complex, sensitive and high-profile proceedings.
She is instructed on behalf of the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service in the Undercover Policing Inquiry and was previously a member of the Inquiry legal team in the Thirlwall Inquiry. She is also regularly instructed in Article 2 inquests examining the adequacy of state responses to vulnerable individuals and those most at risk. She is recognised for her forensic analysis, strategic judgment and calm leadership in demanding cases.
Having represented claimants in abuse litigation for more than a decade before developing a substantial defendant abuse practice, Christina brings a rare and valuable perspective to these cases, with a comprehensive understanding of the legal, evidential and practical issues that arise from both sides of the litigation.
Alongside her practice, Christina is a committed advocate for racial equity and social mobility. She serves as a trustee of an inner-city London school, contributing to its governance and strategic development, and is actively involved in mentoring young people through schools and other initiatives. She is passionate about helping talented students realise their potential, regardless of background or circumstance.
Christina has extensive experience in public inquiries and inquests and is regularly instructed in matters of the highest public sensitivity, including cases involving national security, public interest immunity and state accountability.
Christina acts for the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service in the Undercover Policing Inquiry, the statutory inquiry chaired by Sir John Mitting into undercover policing in England and Wales since 1968. Led by Peter Skelton KC and Amy Mannion KC, she has played a significant role in the Metropolitan Police Service's response to the Inquiry, including throughout the Tranche 2 phase, during which she represented the Commissioner in both closed and evidential hearings. Her work has involved issues of national security, public interest immunity and the handling of highly sensitive material. She continues to advise and act in relation to Tranche 4, which concerns undercover developments undertaken by the National Public Order Intelligence Unit.
Christina was a member of the Inquiry legal team for the Thirlwall Inquiry, led by Rachel Langdale KC, which examined the events at the Countess of Chester Hospital and the wider circumstances arising from the conviction of former neonatal nurse Lucy Letby. She played a significant role in the Inquiry's investigative work for Parts B and C, including drafting Rule 9 requests for evidence, obtaining witness statements, reviewing substantial volumes of documentary material, and questioning witnesses during oral hearings.
Christina is regularly instructed in sensitive and complex Article 2 inquests, particularly those arising from deaths in mental health settings, healthcare environments and other circumstances involving vulnerable individuals. Her cases frequently concern the adequacy of the state’s response to those at risk, engaging issues of systemic failure, safeguarding and public authority accountability. She acts for public authorities, local authorities and healthcare providers, while her extensive experience representing bereaved families gives her a distinctive understanding of the legal, practical and human dimensions of these proceedings.
Current and recent instructions are below.
Christina represented the London Borough of Newham in the Article 2 inquest into the death of Corey Junior Davis ("CJ"), a 14-year-old who was fatally shot in Newham in 2017. The inquest examined the multi-agency response to CJ's vulnerability and criminal exploitation, focusing on whether failings by public bodies and partner agencies contributed to the circumstances leading to his death. Following a detailed examination of the evidence, HM Senior Coroner Graeme Irvine returned a conclusion of unlawful killing and found that admitted failings on the part of the Metropolitan Police Service, the London Borough of Newham and London & Quadrant Housing Trust may have contributed to CJ's death.
BBC News >Christina represented the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service in the jury inquest into the death of Geetha Gharu, who died whilst a patient at the Newham Centre for Mental Health. The inquest considered the circumstances of her death and the extent to which public authorities and healthcare professionals appropriately identified, assessed and responded to risks to her safety.
Christina acts for local authorities and other institutional defendants in abuse litigation, including claims arising from allegations of recent and non-recent sexual and physical abuse, social services negligence, and failures to safeguard vulnerable children. Having previously acted for claimants for more than a decade, she brings a distinctive perspective to these cases, with a comprehensive understanding of the evidential, strategic and practical issues that arise on both sides of the litigation.
Before establishing her defendant abuse practice, Christina spent more than a decade representing claimants in abuse litigation. She was instructed in some of the most substantial group and multi-party actions arising from allegations of recent and non-recent abuse, including the Manchester Children’s Homes (No.2), St William’s, Calderdale, Kirklees and Redbank litigation. She also acted in numerous individual claims concerning abuse alleged to have occurred in children’s homes, care settings and custodial institutions, including the Aycliffe Assessment Centre, Medomsley Detention Centre, Rosehill Care Home, Skircoat Lodge Children’s Home and Underley Hall. This experience gives her a rare breadth of perspective and a comprehensive understanding of the legal, evidential and practical issues that arise on both side of abuse litigation.
Led by Adam Weitzman KC, Christina represented the London Borough of Hackney in a complex multi-defendant High Court claim arising from allegations of child sexual exploitation. The proceedings involved claims in negligence and under the Human Rights Act 1998 for alleged breaches of Articles 3 and 4 ECHR. The litigation raised important questions concerning the duties owed by local authorities to vulnerable children, including the operation of section 20 of the Children Act 1989 and the provision of secure accommodation. The claim was discontinued during the third week of trial.
Instructing Christina Lyons
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