Christian Howells

Inquests

Christian is recommended by Chambers & Partners as “extremely bright and extremely hard-working”.  He is involved in some of the most high profile ongoing inquests and inquiries, including the Infected Blood Inquiry and the Emeliano Sala inquest.  He has extensive experience of article 2 inquests in relation to social services failings and prison deaths.

Selected Cases

• Infected Blood Inquiry: Led by Lloyd Williams QC on behalf of 300 Welsh and Northern Ireland victims in the inquiry into the infection of thousands of haemophiliacs and transfused patients with HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and vCJD.
• Inquest into the death of Emiliano Sala: Led by Lloyd Williams QC on behalf of Cardiff City Football Club in the inquest into the death of footballer Emiliano Sala. Mr Sala died when the plane in which he was travelling crash into the English Channel.  The Air Accidents Investigation Branch published its investigation report on 13 March 2020 which found, amongst other things, that the pilot was not licensed to fly the plane.  It concluded that Mr Sala was unconscious through carbon monoxide poisoning by the time of the crash, but that immediately before hitting the water the pilot was conscious and using the plane’s controls.  The inquest has been listed during March 2021.
• Inquest into the death of Luke Jones: Acted upon behalf of HMP Berwyn concerning the super prison’s first spice related death.
• Inquest into the death of Lewys Crawford: Acted on behalf of Cardiff & Value University Local Health Board in the inquest into the death of three month old child from sepsis.
• Inquest into the death of Annette Hewings: Acted on behalf of the family in an inquest into the death of a woman who was detained in hospital under the Mental Health Act and forced to go through opiate withdrawal and who died of a cardiac arrhythmia.