Tim Barker who heads up our family team here at QualitySolicitors Lawson and Thompson has successfully concluded what is believed to be the first case on the North of England Circuit involving the Presumption of Death Act 2013.
This is a very difficult and emotional area of the law in which the court is asked by an applicant to make a presumption of death in relation to a missing person. We all remember the case of John Darwin from the North East who faked his own death in 2002 whilst out canoeing and matters in these situations have proven all the more difficult for all involved since then and as a consequence.
The courts have subsequently and perhaps understandably been reluctant to make a declaration that a missing person has died. In what is thought to be the first such case on the North of England Circuit, Tim Barker has assisted his client in a very difficult process to successfully obtain a presumption of death from the court after her partner went missing in 2005.
Tim was assisted in the case by Crispin Oliver, barrister of Dere Street Chambers in Newcastle. Their success in the case has allowed their client to obtain some financial and emotional closure to matters at least.
The successful result is a reminder that complicated cases don’t need to be dealt with outside of your own area. Local solicitors have the same knowledge and skills as their city centre counterparts but at a fraction of the cost.