Richard Barraclough KC

Richard Barraclough KC is a Common Lawyer whose vast experience in civil and criminal matters has been acquired over 40 years of a practice which includes inter alia serious crime (including homicide, abuse and fraud) death and catastrophic injuries however caused; regulatory crime; professional including medical negligence. He appears in all courts including the Court of Appeal and the House of Lords (now Supreme Court). He appeared in the Privy Council for appellants in Capital (death sentence) appeals over a number of years. He is expert in the handling of vulnerable witnesses and defendants and is a trained facilitator in relation to the process. He is legal advisor to the General Medical Council and has broad experience of medical matters. He is recognised as an expert in “baby shaking” cases both in the criminal and family courts often involving expert medical evidence given remotely from the UK and abroad.

He has developed a practice in the family courts (fact finding and welfare) where serious allegations are made involving brain and other catastrophic injury, abuse and perplexing presentations/fabricated or induced illness. He has an interest in psychiatric and personality disorders. His criminal, medical negligence and personal injury background provide him with particular experience and expertise in this area of practice.

He has undertaken a number of Family Court cases in 2025 concerning:

• the kidnap of a child in Pakistan; the fabrication of court and official documentation, the creation of video films in order to seek to accuse the father of sexual abuse.
• a relative who was ‘in the pool” after serious injuries were sustained by two young children. He was not only removed from the pool but totally exonerated.
• Relocation of children outside the jurisdiction.
• Repatriation of a child to the UK from the Far East.

A case involving serious brain injuries sustained by a child was reported after the cross examination of experts demonstrated that the parents were innocent of any wrong doing and one expert had failed in his duties as expert: 2022 EWFC 106 (Fact Finding) 2022 EWFC 107 (Anonymity Decision).

He has represented a mother in a case where perplexing illness/ fabricated illness were alleged described by the judge as “to say that this is a complex case is to understate the position”. it involved a number of children ranging in age from teenage to 3 years old all with complex medical needs. The court had to analyse the impact of Covid 19 restrictions on the various conditions and treatment. The court found that the various illnesses and medical conditions were all genuine.

He advises on police disclosure into family proceedings.