The Lawyer Monthly Expert Witness Awards 2021

About Dr. Belinda Stuart-Moonlight Dr Belinda Stuart-Moonlight is one of the foremost food safety and infectious intestinal disease experts in the UK. She possesses excellent academic credentials, including a PhD (King’s College, London) and three fellowships (CIEH, RSPH and IFST). She is a member of the Academy of Experts and works in the civil and criminal arenas, retaining an approximate 50:50 balance between prosecution/claim and defence work. She has given evidence in Magistrates, Crown, Appeal and High Courts. Key areas of work include food safety, hygiene, poisoning, contamination, allergen control, food fitness, traceability, POAO (products of animal origin e.g., meat and fish), risks from pests, gastric illness (travel litigation), large Norovirus outbreaks, Campylobacter, Clostridium, Cryptosporidium, E coli, Listeria, Salmonella, Shigella, foodborne viruses and protozoa. Belinda also continues to accept instructions in relation to SARS- CoV-2. Belinda is regularly instructed to examine, and present opinion on, the risk of harm in cases that have gone for sentencing in relation to food, health and safety and environmental issues. Notable cases include fatal poisonings, injuries and fatalities associated with allergen contamination of food, and significant infectious disease outbreaks associated with food, workplaces and environmental vectors. ‘Belinda Stuart-Moonlight is an outstanding expert witness. She recently prepared a detailed and comprehensive report in the first ever health and safety norovirus prosecution. The report was so compelling in its research and conclusions that the local authority abandoned its prosecution. I have called Belinda to give evidence and she is thorough, objective and highly persuasive. I recommend her highly.’ - John Cooper QC, Crown Office Chambers, London ‘.. attention to detail, logic and structure infuse her reports, which are utterly thorough yet accessible for instructing solicitors, counsel and clients alike… She can effectively dismantle weak prosecution cases that appear prima facae strong. She does however remain objective and clearly very mindful of her duty to the Court in cases in which she appears.’ - David Young, formerly Eversheds Sutherland LLP ‘We found Dr Stuart-Moonlight to be in all respects an excellent, reliable and professional witness upon whose evidence we concluded that we could safely rely..’ - His Honour Judge John Samuels, Knightsbridge Crown Court ‘Dr Belinda Stuart-Moonlight was a pleasure to work with and nothing was too much trouble… Her report was very helpful and instrumental to our negotiations. As a result of her report the client achieved an exceptional outcome. I would highly recommend this expert.’ - Laura Hannah, Stephensons LLP In relation to a ‘very high profile and important case, … she gave her evidence well; she was thoughtful and balanced in the witness box and I’m sure it was her evidence that allowed the Judge to conclude that this was a harm category 2 case, rather than the harm category 1 case that the prosecution was advocating. This, in turn, had a direct impact on the level of fine.’ - Mark Owen, Peninsula ‘They are probably some of the best Part 35 responses I have ever read. … the answers were clear and incredibly neutral (I’ve had some Part 35 experts appear defensive in their responses)….Thank you for all your help. As always, it is an impeccable service.’ - Alec Hancock, MJW Law Ltd Why use Dr Belinda Stuart-Moonlight as an Expert Witness? • Holds CUBS (Cardiff University) qualifications in criminal and civil expert witness work • Worked in the field for over 30 years and as an expert witness for approximately 20 years • Worked on landmark and high-profile cases • Considerable experience as a regulator (EHO enforcer for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea) • PhD examined pathogen survival in food businesses and consequent risks • She continues to conduct consultancy, auditing and training, thus ensuring expert witness work is informed by current practice • She provides expert technical advice to leading industry bodies including CIEH and ABTA • She quickly establishes excellent working relationships in complex cases involving a multi-disciplinary expert team • Customer care is paramount, and she is sensitive to the needs of instructing solicitors and always delivers reports to agreed deadlines LAWYER MONTHLY EXPERT WITNESS AWARDS 2021 UNITED KINGDOM - 29 - www.lawyer-monthly.com