Malcolm Underhill

First published 13 July 2020 (updated 15 October 2020) The recent disclosure by prominent gymnasts may prompt a trickle of similar complaints, although if it follows the experience in other environments, it is far more likely that the...

In the summer of 2020 we saw the rollout of the use of is scooters. It is still only permissible to use rental e-scooters on public roads, in a number of pilots across the country, although the Government’s Transport Committee is now recommending that...

As a lawyer who specialises in helping victims of sexual assault it seems to me, over many years, that victim survivors are not dealt with fairly, are treated as inferior to the sexual offenders, and not given sufficient support. One such example is the...

Over the last six months I have talked about keeping children safe online , with the focus on protecting children. However, the NSPCC are now arguing for the technology companies to be accountable for allowing people to abuse children online, proposing...

At the beginning of the Coronavirus Covid 19 pandemic there was a fear that the NHS would be overwhelmed by patients, particularly those requiring ventilators to assist with their breathing. Thankfully, the worst forecasts were not realised, so, in terms of...

It is a sad truth that paedophiles are drawn to environments where there are children. Although a lot of work has been carried out over the last 20 years or so to protect children and young people, unfortunately those with wicked intent, still manage to...

(Updated 30.09.20) There is concern during the pandemic, that not only is there an increase in domestic and sexual violence, but it is proving more difficult for the victim survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault...

After decades of a reduction in the number of fatalities on Britain’s roads, recent statistics reveal that the number of fatalities may now be on the rise. There are likely to be a number of reasons for this, but whatever they are, road fatalities...

Views on the health of sex workers may fall into two camps. There will be those who consider sex workers deserve whatever they get, even if that means being exposed to violent attacks; and those who will see sex workers, mostly women, as victims of social...

It takes courage and bravery to reveal you have been sexually assaulted, whether as an adult or when you were a child. It is even more of a challenge to provide a detailed account as to exactly what happened. It is therefore unsurprising that many...

During the Covid 19 pandemic there has been an understandable reduction in the number of people seeking help from the NHS. Indeed, it was reported that the number of visits in England, to accident and emergency, were down by 29%. It was also reported by the...

Barry Bennell, a former football coach who worked at top-level English clubs, including Manchester City and Leeds United, was found guilty in February 2018 of multiple sex offences against boys he coached in the 1980s. The 64-year-old, who now goes by the...

The second in Malcolm's series of 'Garden Shed Vlogs' looks at how we can keep our children safe on-line

Victims of sexual assault or childhood sexual abuse can suffer long-term mental health problems, including depression and, in the worst cases suicide. Therefore, is important that once they have felt able to talk about what has happened to them, they...

This is the first in our series of 'Garden Shed Vlogs' by Malcolm Underhill . In this video Malcolm looks at the issue of inquests for coronavirus deaths. ...

For the first few weeks following the government’s announcement of a coronavirus pandemic lockdown on 23 March 2020, not having to go to school, but staying at home, was a novelty and exciting children. Perhaps their parents too. Not...

The nation’s efforts are directed towards supporting professionals in the NHS, to enable them to treat patients diagnosed with Covid 19. To maximise our prospects of coping with the spread of the coronavirus, retired health workers and those training...

The independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse has produced an accountability and reparations report, in which it addresses the various avenues for redress and support which is currently available for the victims and survivors of childhood sexual abuse. The...

When the government announced the early closure of schools following the coronavirus outbreak, the immediate concern was that standard safeguarding procedures could be forgotten about, leaving children vulnerable to exploitation to those who would mean to do...

This is Manish Shah. He’s done no direct harm to me and I’ve never met him. However, he makes me angry. He makes me angry for what he’s done to others, to countless women (the number of which we may never know), conducting unnecessary...

The 2 nd August 2017 saw a case of alleged sexual abuse reported in the media. East London doctor, Manish Shah, a GP practicing in Romford, at the Mawney Medical Centre, was charged with sexual offences. Dr Shah was charged with counts of assault by...

Following many years of campaigning by Liz Davies and the Islington survivors network, the London Borough of Islington has had to accept that they are legally responsible for allowing an unknown number of children to be subjected to sexual, physical and...

An ability to communicate well is important for all politicians, particularly those holding senior office, where every word will be analysed and dissected. On a number of occasions, Boris Johnson MP has caused offence by his language, appearing to lack...

Those familiar with the many of accounts of physical, sexual, emotional abuse , and neglect within Islington’s children's homes, foster homes, and adoptive homes between the 1970s and 1990s will know how seeking justice for the victims has been...

676 state-funded schools and academies in England have been referred to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for failing to show that they are properly managing the risk of harmful exposure to asbestos in their buildings. These failings could...

How Where You Live Can Affect Your Chances Of Effective Treatment When it comes to receiving healthcare, we take for granted that regardless of where you live in the UK, you will receive the same standard of care. Sadly, a new...

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a scourge in the UK and one where its victims live in shame and secrecy. In 2017/18, figures show that FGM was listed in 1,960 social work assessments by councils, double that of the previous year. Leethen...

Concussion is often associated with blows to the head suffered in sports, but the potential causes are far broader. Falls, assaults, being hit by a moving object, motor vehicle accidents, and falling from a bicycle are just some of the many factors...

May is a big month for Headway, the brain injury association. The 20th May 2019 marks the start of Brain Injury Week, an annual campaign to raise awareness of brain injury in the UK; and during this period, on 24th May 2019, Headway will be celebrating...

Nearly half of patients who had an artificial mesh surgically implanted into their pelvic floor at a Bristol hospital should have been offered an alternative treatment, North Bristol NHS Trust has revealed . The NHS trust has informed 57 patients who...

For victims of medical negligence, the costs can extend far beyond money. Some may have the length of their life significantly shortened, or be left with life-long disability; but what happens when a medical error causes loss of fertility in a young...

( Image attribution .) Levi Bellfield is the notorious killer, known for the murders of Amelie Delgrange, Marshall McDonnell, the attempted murder of Kate Sheedy and the murder of Milly Dowler. Those crimes did not take place in the London Borough of...

Whether you need emergency care, an outpatient procedure or treatment such as chemotherapy for cancer, getting the right medical care at the right time is often critical to protecting a patient’s health and achieving the best long-term outcome. Any...

The wrong type of metal plates were surgically implanted into a number of patients to treat broken bones, the NHS has admitted. Patients at an unnamed NHS trust were found to have been given flexible plates meant for reconstruction...

Nearly two-thirds of prisoners at a women’s jail were found by researchers to have signs of brain injury, suggesting they may have suffered a traumatic head injury at some point in their lives. Of 173 female prisoners surveyed at...

Unsafe medical devices that have not been adequately tested have been routinely used in patients in the UK, throughout the EU and around the world, a new investigation has uncovered. Devices including pacemakers, hip and knee replacements, and spinal...

It was once the case that following conviction of an offender, the courts would, when it came to sentencing, only take account of the nature of the offence and the individual before them. However, for many years now the courts have also taking account of the...

Suffering a traumatic brain injury can have a serious impact on a person’s physical and mental abilities, as well as potentially causing profound changes to their personality. While in most cases these issues are relatively minor and manageable,...

Only four days after the Gosport Hospital independent inquiry report [1] was released on the inappropriate administration of opioid drugs which reduced the lifespan of patients, a whistleblower close to the inquiry raised a new alert. Speaking...

Gosford Hospital Inquiry Report Highlights Major Medical Prescribing Failures The Gosford War Memorial Hospital is at the centre of a major healthcare scandal concerning the inappropriate administration of opioid medication. The Report of the...

A former football coach for a number of professional clubs is on trial, accused of being “a serial abuser of young teenage boys’. Bob Higgins, 65, is being prosecuted for 50 counts of indecent assault at Salisbury Crown Court –...

Women protected from Upskirting Upskirting, now defined as ‘…the practice of taking a photograph up a person’s skirt or clothes without their consent.’ Following a public outcry the...

Authorities in Rochdale failed in their response to evidence of child abuse, at the council-run Knowl View Residential School , a new report has found. The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) report into historic abuse at the...

Health Minister, Jeremy Hunt, has launched an urgent independent inquiry after revelations that up to 270 women may have died after being affected by a 2009 computer error that caused 450,000 women to miss crucial breast cancer screenings [1] . The...

In January 2018, we wrote about the epilepsy drug, sodium valproate , which had been linked to 20,000 cases of catastrophic disabilities in children in the UK. At the time, MP Norman Lamb referred to the situation as an “extraordinary...

The true scale of sexual abuse in UK boarding schools has been exposed in a new ITV documentary that has revealed hundreds of people are accused of abusing children in some of the UK’s leading private schools. The documentary, part of...

The Oxfam sex abuse scandal has taken a new turn following reports that teenage volunteers in the charity’s UK shops have been abused. The charity's former head of safeguarding, Helen Evans, revealed that staff working in Oxfam’s charity...

Islington Council has appointed a top Queen’s Counsel to investigate former Mayor Sandy Marks’ links to historic child abuse that took place in local children’s homes and the council from the 1970s through to the 1990s. Sarah Morgan QC...

Sexual harassment and bullying are “ingrained into the theatre culture” according to a new study carried out by The Stage . A poll of theatre professionals and students shows 43% have experiencing bullying and 31% have been sexually harassed...

Sodium Valproate, also known as Epilim, Episenta, Epival, and Convulex (as valproic acid), has been linked to catastrophic disabilities in around 20,000 children in the UK. MP Norman Lamb has called the situation an “extraordinary scandal”[1]. ...

This winter has seen the National Health Service under perhaps the heaviest pressure ever, with NHS bosses ordering hospitals to cancel tens of thousands of operations and outpatient appointments in an effort to free up capacity to cope with demand on...

One of the UK’s leading independent schools – St Paul’s Girls’ School – has received claims of historic sexual abuse after asking ex-pupils to share stories of sexual harassment related to the recent popular #metoo social...

Over 500 victims of the NHS contaminated blood scandal have been given leave to seek compensation from the government [1] . The claimants are a mix of survivors and relatives of those who died after being given infected blood products. More than...

An investigation by the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire Show has found a number of women underwent hysterectomies to remove a sterilisation device, Essure , used on the NHS. Laura Linkson, who was fitted with the Essure device in 2013, told the BBC...

The community of Horsham, West Sussex is in shock after it was announced yesterday that four former teachers at Christ’s Hospital School have been charged with historic sexual abuse of pupils. The incidents took place between 1980 and 1996. Gary...

The BBC has recently reported on child abuse claims made against a Shropshire GP who died 17 years ago. [1] Hospitals, GP surgeries and medical centres are places upon which we all rely, often at times of weakness or vulnerability, when seeking...

Abraham Lincoln was the first US President to be assassinated, drawing his last breath at 7.20 am, on 15 th April 1865. He died from a traumatic brain injury caused by a bullet, shot from almost point blank range as he watched a performance of Our...

There are few women who do not fear childbirth, after all, less than 200 years ago giving birth constituted a major threat to a woman’s life. Childbirth, however, remains highly dangerous for women in developing countries [1] . Thanks to...

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive degenerative brain disease, found in athletes, military veterans and others exposed to repetitive brain trauma. Previously known as “punch drunk syndrome” and linked only to...

“Cool kids wear lids.” “Protect your head or end up dead.” “Keep calm and helmet on.” These are just some of the catchy slogans associated with promoting cycle helmets. Those in favour of making...

Extraordinary new research has been conducted into how memories are made and stored. The findings, which contradict what scientists have believed for decades about how memories are made, could help doctors treat those suffering from severe brain...

Nine in ten children who are abused will develop a mental illness by the time they are 18[1]. And a staggering 70-80% of female victims report that as a result of their experiences, they have engaged in (or are still engaged in) substance...

This week is Road Safety Week and IBB Claims is proud to be a supporter of this event, which aims to inspire communities to take action on road safety and promote life-saving messages throughout the country. Road traffic accidents account for 50% of all ...

Road Safety Week commences this week. Organised every year by Brake (the leading UK road safety charity), this is the UK’s biggest road safety event, supported by thousands of schools, organisations and communities each year. IBB...

Families of children who have suffered birth injuries may find claiming compensation easier under a new scheme announced by Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt. The new Rapid Resolution and Redress Scheme, which is out for consultation, would investigate...

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Children (NSPCC) has warned parents that the internet can be a playground for paedophiles. The warning comes after it was revealed that counselling sessions for young people worried about...

A new study by the British Journal of cancer released last week reported that one in five ‘red flag’ symptoms that indicate the presence of bowel cancer have been missed by GPs [1] . The study also found that 16% of patients presenting...

Most expectant mothers fear labour to some degree. Thanks to advances in maternity healthcare over the last 100 or so years, in most cases, both mother and child emerge from childbirth relatively unscathed. Some women require a little more...

There is no greater betrayal to a child than an abusive parent. The one person who is supposed to love and protect you, not only fails to perform this fundamental parental task, but is the deliberate cause of harm. According to the National Society...

(Source: https://blog.soton.ac.uk/comp6044/2010/11/28/psychology-biology-of-behaviour/) Children who receive a traumatic brain injury (TBI) are 72% more likely to die before the age of 41, a new study has shown[1]. Research published in the Public...

On 4 th August 2016, the Independent Inquiry Into Child Abuse ( IIICA ) , set up by then Home Secretary, Theresa May has lost its third head in two years. Former New Zealand High Court Judge, Dame Lowell Goddard QC resigned curtly and abruptly,...

A recent report in The Times has thrown light onto a number of dental practitioners who are setting up as ‘cosmetic’ dentists, despite having no formal training 1 . They are ruining lives and appearance and coining in the cash. Jonathan...

There are not many of us who have the confidence and aplomb of Mary Beard or Mary Berry; women who happily show of their grey hair and wrinkles. Most of us would like to wind the clock back a bit; be it through cosmetic surgery or non-surgical...

Dealing with a Botched Hair Transplant What do Gordon Ramsey and James Nesbit have in common, apart from being rich, famous and regulars on the television? Both men have had hair transplants . At around...

If you are in immediate danger, please call 999. Child abuse linked to exorcism and witchcraft accusations is on the rise in Britain. According to figures obtained by the BBC, The Metropolitan Police said there were 60 crimes linked to faith in London...

Put yourself in the mind of a paedophile. To commit acts that provide your main source of sexual gratification, your need two things; access to a lot of children and an environment which provides you with the time and opportunity to select the weakest...

“Sometimes when I’m alone with my baby, I think about killing him. He reminds me of the man who raped me.” [1] It is one of the biggest scandals the United Nations (UN) has faced in decades. Women and children from conflict zones...

Throngs of people took to Twitter on Sunday, 15 th May to express their appreciation for Louis Theroux’s latest documentary on people living with the long-term effects of a brain injury. Fans were not the only ones impressed. A review...

On 1 st March 2016, 70 health professionals, academics and doctors wrote an open letter to ministers of health, education, and sport, and the chief medical officers and children's commissioners in the four nations of the UK, as well as the Republic of...

When someone receives a diagnosis of cancer it can feel like their heart drops to the pit of their stomach. Unless someone has been through it themselves, it is difficult to comprehend the swell of emotions a person feels in the first few days;...

Much has been written about the consequences of high-speed-impact injuries on the brain . They are more dramatic and, sad to say, can often make for a better media story. An example that comes immediately to mind is the tragedy of...

Medical negligence can cause pain, suffering, loss of income, embarrassment and in worse case scenarios, even death. No one, including some of the world’s most famous celebrities is immune from the consequences of a doctor or a surgeon making...

The Long Lasting Effects Of Birth Injuries Childbirth has always been a risky business for both mother and baby. In 15 th century Florence, upper-class woman would make their Will as soon as they found out they were pregnant because...

Jimmy Saville, Rochdale, Operation Pallial. These names and many more have become familiar to all of us who read the papers, but for the survivors of abuse which took place in children’s care homes, hearing these names can bring back horrific,...

Last year Edna Slann died a miserable, painful death shortly after entering Grantley Court nursing home in Cheam, south-west London, which has now been closed by orders of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) health watchdog. Mrs Slann had led a full and...

A patient’s entire testicle removed instead of the cyst on it. The removal of a woman’s fallopian tube instead of an appendix. A scalpel blade being left inside a patient following an operation. The above is not a synopsis of the...

The growth in the popularity of cycling continues, not just as a form of exercise and leisure activity, but also as a form of daily transport. Latest figures show that 8% of the population of Great Britain now cycle three or more times a week, equivalent to...

Henry VIII had two of his wives executed, and his sixth and final wife Katherine Parr came within a whisper of suffering the same fate, thanks to a plot by vindictive Tudor courtiers. It is well known that Henry’s personality changed...

The aftermath of sexual abuse occurring at some of Britain’s leading boarding schools has drastically affected the lives of some former students. In 2014, award-winning journalist, Alex Renton, wrote an explosive article in the Guardian...

Can you claim compensation from the occupier of a house if you suffer a personal injury while on their premises? Yes you can, if you can prove negligence. In 2015, sight-impaired athlete and adventurer Mark Pollock, who was the first blind...

A man wrongly diagnosed with back pain only to be told he actually had cancer then died after he was given an accidental overdose of chemotherapy. Robert Trivett, 49, went to his GP suffering chronic back pain but was told he had sciatica. But as...

A 10-year-old boy has been awarded £6 million in compensation after NHS staff failed to spot that he was suffering from dangerously low blood sugar levels. His mother said the brain damage that her son suffered was the result of “poor...

Over 1,000 personal injury claimants have presented a compensation claim to London’s High Court after suffering failed metal-on-metal hip replacements. Some of those claiming a right to damages have allegedly suffered muscle necrosis and tissue...

A mother has lost her front teeth after botched cosmetic dental treatment by an unlicensed beautician. Kellie Taylor, 43, admitted she “didn't even think about what could go wrong” after spotting an offer for a £65 course of tooth...

A mother-of-five has been awarded compensation after her husband died following a spinal operation where a crucial vein was damaged. Julie Bircham, from Roydon in Essex, said she hopes the payout will ensure that lessons are learned and procedures are...

A woman has been awarded a three-figure sum in compensation after negligent medical care during the birth of her son left him with a permanent disability. The mother – who hasn’t been named – described how one of the midwives looked as...

A mother-of-two from Billington, Lancashire has been awarded nearly £1 million in compensation after delays in treatment by the NHS left her with a life-changing condition. Claire Thornber will forever suffer a debilitating pain in her legs...

Jack Mitchell, 23-years-old, has been awarded a £4.3m care and support package following a car crash in 2009 that left him with severe brain damage. At the time of the accident Mr Mitchell was studying to become an electrician and was working part-time...

The relatives of a 10-year-old boy who died after being misdiagnosed by ambulance staff have said that the ambulance trust “closed ranks” when questioned about the child’s death, and have alleged a “massive cover-up” about the...

A grandfather from Bristol has received a compensation payment for an undisclosed amount after hospital failures led to him having his leg amputated. The 53-year-old has told of the agonizing pain he was left in after undergoing a hip resurfacing...