[2025] EWHC 2684 (KB)

DS Brownsell accepted that the statement from Mr Ward and sent by DLA Piper was supportive of the Claimants. Within the interview conducted as part of the IPCC investigation DS Brownsell recollected (it is unclear what documentation he had available);

“…(Mr Tarrant) phoned me and said I got a statement...It was projected by DLA Piper, here's this great guy, Martin Ward, look at his statement. These the reasons why you shouldn't charge our clients…

We read through it all and effectively that statement was forgive the phrase it was flim flam. I am this, I am that, I do that…Throughout his discourse he made reference to various medical documents or papers or whatever to back up his argument. But what he, what he didn't say and what so many people of the defence camp didn't say is what was extra care, how was it applied.”

And

“…we constantly got from these people, including Martin Ward, is extra care is not this, extra care is not an extra care is it but they didn't say what an extra care is… so consequently in around that time there was some nonsense from DLA Piper about well you're not seeing all the witnesses, you're just cherry picking who you see and all this sort of business and they put up various individuals people like groundsman and so forth I mean with not disrespect to the guy who makes the grounds look good he's very unlikely to know exactly what extra care is…”

And

“Martin Ward was one of numerous people that had to be seen and he just came over the horizon at us.”

DS Brownsell confirmed his view in that interview that Martin Ward was not a significant witness. During cross-examination DS Brownsell struggled to explain how he arrived at or justified this view.