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Catherine joined Weightmans’ national Police Claims team in February 2022 as a Principal Associate, based in the Manchester office.

Catherine has over 20 years’ post-qualification experience of defending civil claims, predominantly those brought against the police. She was a solicitor in Weightmans’ Manchester police and motor teams from 2007 until December 2010 when she joined Greater Manchester Police as an in-house solicitor.

From 2012 to early 2022, Catherine recruited to and ran GMP’s Civil Litigation Unit becoming the force’s Principal Solicitor (Civil Litigation) in July 2014. As well as implementing the in-house structure and processes required to deliver in-house claims handling, she dealt with many of GMP’s most high value, high risk and complex civil claims arising out of all areas of force business. She provided Force-wide advice to police staff and officers of all ranks, including in Gold groups, on matters of strategy, organisational risk, mitigation of loss and damage and organisational learning.

Claims dealt with by Catherine at GMP included those brought for damages for false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, battery, misfeasance in public office, claims arising out of data breaches and for defamation, claims brought under the Equality Act 2010 and the Human Rights Act 1998 including claims arising from police-contact deaths and investigations into historic abuse and child sexual exploitation (“CSE”). She dealt with a range of EL claims brought in negligence for injuries sustained by police officers and staff at work including for work-related stress.

Catherine dealt with the defence of multi-claimant actions, claims with a pleaded value in excess of £1 million and claims with national implications for policing. Publicised examples include:

  • A test claim brought on behalf of 131 Leeds United FC supporters who were served with directions to leave under s27 of the Violent Crime and Reduction Act 2006 having congregated at a pub on 3 January 2010 ahead of a football match at Old Trafford. The claim was discontinued in 2014, very shortly before trial with the claimants making a contribution towards GMP’s legal costs. Catherine received a Chief Superintendent’s Commendation for her work on the case which recognised her “exceptional commitment, professionalism and leadership…sav[ing] GMP hundreds of thousands of pounds”;
  • A factually complex misuse of private information and data breach claim brought by Rebecca Leighton, the nurse arrested in July 2011 on suspicion of the Stepping Hill Hospital poisonings. She claimed that whilst she was in custody, GMP officers had made her private Facebook page available to the public and had leaked her name to the press;
  • Claims brought by three women arising out of GMP’s handling of CSE in Rochdale which resulted in the Chief Constable publishing his written apologies on GMP’s website; and
  • A claim valued at over £1 million brought via two test cases against GMP and three other police forces on behalf of several hundred Liverpool FC fans who alleged that they were contained on coaches on the journey home from a football match at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland in March 2011. The test cases ultimately proceeded against GMP and one other force and were withdrawn during the trial in November 2016.

Since rejoining Weightmans, Catherine has acted for a number of police forces in addition to GMP, defending a wide range of EL and PL claims. Since February 2022, she has acted in the defence of Breeze & Wilson v Chief Constable of Norfolk Constabulary, a claim for misfeasance in public office and malicious prosecution originally pleaded at over £30 million and which was successfully defended to trial in the High Court in April 2025.

From April 2023, Catherine was a Police Claims Team Manager before returning to a full-time fee earning role in June 2025.

Sectors:

Notable cases

Notable cases include:

Breeze and Wilson v Chief Constable of Norfolk Constabulary [2025] EWHC 2684 (KB)

Michael Gilchrist v Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police [2019] EWHC 1233 (QB)

Coghlan v Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police and others [2018] EWHC 1784 (QB)

Coghlan v Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police and others [2018] EWHC 34 (QB)