Katie Sage

Inquests & Public Inquiries

Katie is ranked as a leading junior by Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners in this area. She has significant experience of public inquiries and inquests.

She acted as lead junior for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea throughout the Grenfell Tower Inquiry (led by James Maxwell-Scott KC).

During the Inquiry, she was closely involved in advising on strategy and approach, including advising on the impact of the Charter for Families Bereaved through Public Tragedy (also known as the Hillsborough Charter) and how that affects a Core Participant in such proceedings. Katie advised on matters relating to Building Control and to the fire safety management of high-rise residential buildings, including the application of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 in circumstances where a building is managed for the freeholder by a management organisation. She was closely involved in drafting written and oral opening and closing submissions, submissions relating to post-incident changes at RBKC and questions for witnesses. She also devised and managed significant parts of the disclosure and review strategy, including in respect of LPP documents.

She is instructed in the COVID-19 Inquiry by a corporate client and a public body in the care sector.

In respect of inquests, she recently acted for Reading Borough Council in the inquest arising out of the Forbury Gardens Terror Attack in June 2020 (led by Simon Antrobus KC). The issues for the local authority related to the provision of adult social care, the interaction with secondary mental health services and the discharge of their PREVENT duty.

Katie’s has also represented organisations across a variety of sectors and her recent experience includes:

• Instructed for a care home in respect of an inquest arising from the death of a resident following an unexplained arm injury.
• Represented an organisation in respect of an inquest arising from a student suicide where the final call made by the deceased was to a call centre run by her client.
• Represented a Russell Group University in respect of a student suicide case. At the conclusion of the inquest, the coroner expressly stated that she had no criticisms to make of the university, who had several services trying to support the student at the time of his death. Katie successfully argued that Article 2 did not apply.
• Represented the CDM Client, AM Ltd, in a jury inquest relating to the death of a scaffolder who fell from height through a fragile roof.
• Represented a local authority in respect of the death of an elderly resident who was being provided with social care by the local authority’s adult social care team.
• Instructed for KCH Ltd in an inquest involving the death of a resident of their care home after an unobserved fall (CQC prosecution outstanding).
• Represented S Ltd in a jury inquest where their employee had died when he fell from a tail lift during a loading operation and suffered crush injuries (EHO prosecution outstanding).
• Represented EM Ltd in relation to a jury inquest arising out of the death of one of their workers as a result of a fall from height.
• Represented HG Ltd, a Registered Social Provider in an inquest arising out of the death of one of their residents where the conclusion of “unlawful killing” was considered in respect of one of HG Ltd’s former employee. The inquest involved considering whether Article 2 applied due to the involvement of a hybrid public authority.

Selected Cases

News

• James Ageros KC, Mark Balysz KC and Katie Sage secure acquittals in Fire Safety trial
• Forbury Gardens Terror Attack Inquests conclude – Jack Murphy represents Ambulance Service commended for its response

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Events

• Criminal Regulatory Seminar at the Midland Hotel, Manchester
• “Keeping an eye on COVID-19: the morning after the night before” by Harry Vann & Katie Sage

Articles

• The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 – The Road To Life Imprisonment? By Katie Sage and Jack Murphy
• Innocent until probably guilty

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Qualifications

• BPTC, Outstanding
• BCL
• BA (Hons) Oxon, First Class
• Hardwicke Scholarship, Lincoln’s Inn
• Lord Denning Scholarship, Lincoln’s Inn
• Buchanan Prize, Lincoln’s Inn
• Sir Roger Bannister Scholarship, Pembroke College
• Pembroke College Exhibition

Memberships

• HSLA
• South Eastern Circuit