Why his role matters
The Thirlwall Inquiry’s evidence record was not produced in a vacuum. It is the product of sustained cross-examination by Counsel to the Inquiry, who work under the chair’s direction to test and develop the record. Mr Medland KC’s examination of executives, HR, external reviewers, and regulatory figures is where the specific features of the institutional failure — the scope limits of the RCPCH review, the apology-letter sequence, the eight-month delay before police involvement — came onto the public record with documentary detail.
Professional background
- Senior barrister, King’s Counsel.
- Practice includes criminal law, public inquiries and regulatory matters.
- Appointed Counsel to the Thirlwall Inquiry on its establishment in 2023.
What his examination has established
Across the 2024–2025 Inquiry hearings, Counsel to the Inquiry, including Mr Medland KC, established the following features of the institutional record:
- The sequence and substance of the 2015 consultants’ concerns.
- The RCPCH Invited Service Review’s scope and what its authors say about it.
- The 2016 HR grievance sequence against the consultants.
- The eight-month delay between the September 2016 consultants’ letter and the May 2017 police referral.
- The role of executives and of the Director of Corporate Affairs (a former police officer) in shaping that delay.
- The regulatory-oversight package (CQC, NHS Improvement) and its scope limits.
Role at trial
Simon Medland KC was junior prosecution counsel at the 2022-2023 Letby trial, working with Nicholas Johnson KC as lead. His specific role included examination-in-chief and cross-examination of several Crown witnesses, presentation of statistical and circumstantial evidence to the jury, and contributions to closing submissions. His prosecutorial choices form part of the public-record trial transcripts the CCRC application now engages.
The role of junior prosecution counsel in a long, complex multi-count trial is substantial: a junior silk handles many of the witness examinations and the day-to-day management of the case in court. Mr Medland’s contributions are documented across the Chester Standard live-blog records of the trial.
The two-counsel prosecution team
The Crown was led by Nicholas Johnson KC with junior counsel including Simon Medland KC and Kate Blackwell KC. The team structure at this scale of trial is standard for complex Crown prosecutions in England and Wales. Mr Medland’s role as junior counsel meant carrying significant parts of the witness examinations and the evidential-presentation workload, while Mr Johnson KC led on the opening and closing speeches and the strategic case framing.
Why this biography is on the site
This biography is a reference page, not a commentary on Mr Medland personally. His role at trial is part of the public record. Identifying him here is a factual reference for readers navigating the trial transcripts, the Chester Standard live-blog records, and the post-conviction analysis of the Crown’s presentation. The conviction-safety question is about the evidential architecture of the case, not about the conduct of individual counsel; this page provides the factual identification that allows readers to navigate the public record.