Faculty Officers

President

Dr Bernadette Butler

Forensic Physician

 

 

Bernadette was brought up in Bristol and qualified from St Thomas’ Hospital Medical School, University of London, in 1978.

After initial specialist training in Obstetrics & Gynaecology, (O&G), she stepped off the ‘career ladder’, after her children were born. She continued working in O&G, until, fortuitously in 2000, she joined what became the London sexual assault referral centre, (SARC), The Havens. Thus, her career in forensic medicine began, developing through the support and encouragement of her husband and children, colleagues and the FFLM.

Her forensic medical education continued through the University of Ulster, (UU), Course, then as a Member and Fellow of the FFLM. She still works at the Havens, as a forensic physician and as the clinical education and training lead. She has also worked in the Surrey and Gloucestershire SARCs.

She has an interest in education and training: no clinician would progress without the commitment and enthusiasm of those who help others learn: the ‘trainer’/supervisor, peers, students and patients.

Bernadette also sits as a Lay Magistrate in Surrey, where she lives with her family and Byron, the ‘rescue’ Great Dane.

 

Immediate Past President

Prof Paul Marks

BA, LLM, MD, FRCS, FFFLM, FCS(ECSA), RCPathME, ACIArb, Mediator

Senior Coroner

 

 

 

Paul Marks qualified in medicine in 1980 and trained in neurosurgery in London and Cambridge. He specialised in intracranial vascular surgery, pituitary disorders and spinal surgery. He has held consultant posts in New Zealand, Leeds and Harrogate.
He read law at Cardiff Law School and was first appointed to Coronial Office in West Yorkshire in 2004.

Paul was appointed as Senior Coroner for the County of the East Riding of Yorkshire and City of Kingston-Upon-Hull in 2012 and was the last medically qualified Coroner to be appointed to a full-time coronial jurisdiction. He has a particular interest in complex hospital deaths and mental health inquests.

He has previously served as Vice President of the FFLM and was on its Research Subcommittee.

Paul lives in rural North Yorkshire.

 

Registrar

Dr Iain Brew

FRCGP FFFLM FFMLM LLDip

GP working in Prisons

 

Iain has had a varied career in Primary Care including five years in Shetland and over twenty years working in secure environments and medicolegal practice.

Until recently, the National Deputy Medical Director for a prison healthcare provider, he is now working freelance.

Iain enjoys searching for bargains in antique centres and restoring eighteenth century long case clocks.

Treasurer

Dr Amy Hamm

MBChB DCH DLM MFFLM MRCPCH CMgr

Forensic Physician and Paediatrician

 

 

 

 

Amy trained at Liverpool University and qualified in 2006. After completing foundation years she worked in obstetrics and gynaecology for three years before changing specialty to paediatrics and working in acute general paediatrics in a unit that included level 2 neonates for seven years. Amy has completed her MRCPCH and is a member of the Royal College of Paediatrics.

Amy was introduced to forensic medicine in 2011 by Prof Ian Wall at Teesside University. She completed the FMERSA through St Mary’s SARC inspired by Cath White, Helena Thornton and Vicky Evans she developed a passion for excellent care of sexual offence victims. Amy went on to obtain her MFFLM. Since becoming a member Amy has been keen to assist the faculty she sits on the forensic science sub-committee, she is an examiner and an appraiser. Amy is passionate about provision of quality care and improving outcomes for victims of all ages. She is enthusiastic about raising standards through provision of quality teaching, training and development of forensic clinicians and partner agencies.

Academic Dean

Dr Deryn Evans

FFFLM MRCGP MBBS DLM DFFP DRCOG BSc (hons)

Forensic Physician

 

 

 

Deryn qualified from Guys and St Thomas’ medical school in 2001. She initially trained in General Practice before taking on the role of Forensic Physician for States of Jersey Police in 2015. She embraced the role and completed her membership, grateful for the support and education of the faculty. Deryn is now the lead for the service in Jersey and Clinical Director of  the local SARC. She enjoys training and has recently become an examiner for the faculty. Deryn does some expert work locally and still works as a GP for homeless and vulnerable adults. Deryn also works as a GP appraiser and a medical referee.

Deryn is passionate about equality of care and trauma-informed practice.

When not working, Deryn enjoys spending time with her family and her two black Labradors.

Assistant Registrar

Dr Anton van Dellen

MBBCh, MA (Law), LLM, DPhil

Barrister and Assistant Coroner

 

 

Dr Anton van Dellen is a barrister at Fraser Chambers, specialising in defamation, public and commercial law. Anton also sits as an Assistant Coroner in West London. He has a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBCh) from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg; a Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) in Physiology from the University of Oxford; a Master of Arts in Law from the University of Cambridge; and a Masters of Law (LLM) from BPP. The subject of his LLM was expert witness liability. Anton was a registrar in neurosurgery before becoming a Fellow at Christ Church, University of Oxford. He also held several senior management posts in the NHS.  Anton is an advocacy trainer for Inner Temple, is a member of Inner Temple’s Bar Liaison Committee and sits on Inner Temple’s Executive, Finance and Investment Committees.  He is also an elected member of the Bar Council, is Vice-Chair of the Bar Council’s Legal Services Committee and sits on the Education and Training Committee. He was awarded a Princess Royal Scholarship from Inner Temple and was a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford.

Vice President Forensic Medicine

Dr Libby Sevink

BMBS DLM MFFLM

Forensic Physician (General Forensic Medicine and Sexual Offence Medicine)

 

 

Libby graduated from Peninsula Medical School in 2008. After a career as a Medical Officer in the RAF, she was keen to continue to explore medicine in more unconventional environments.

She discovered Forensic Medicine in 2016 and divides her time between General Forensic Medicine as Clinical Lead for Custody, and the Paediatric SARC.

She has worked closely with partner agencies to develop and implement policies to improve outcomes for vulnerable patients and is passionate about maintaining high standards of care in the challenging environments of Custody and SARC. She also delivers training to clinicians embarking on their career in Forensic Medicine as well as Police Officers and other Healthcare Specialties.

Having obtained her Membership of the FFLM she has gone on to become an examiner and was inspired by colleagues to become more involved with the Faculty and their work to maintain and improve standards in Forensic Medicine.

 

Vice President Allied Healthcare Professionals

Ms Stacey Shelley

LFFLM

Nurse Clinical Lead & Vice-President for Allied Healthcare Professionals

 

 

 

Stacey is a nurse clinical lead and contract and partnership manager within Cleveland Police, this is where she began her forensic career in 2015. Qualifying with a BSc (HONS) in nursing in 2010 Stacey quickly gained experience within the healthcare field and went on to undertake further advanced clinical skills, disease management and non-medical prescribing qualifications.

Through a twist of fate, she found herself working as a senior healthcare practitioner in the niche area of forensic healthcare, not exclusively working within custody as Stacey is a dual trained examiner for both general forensics and sexual assault victims. After gaining further experience Stacey entered teaching, delivering various aspects of forensic topics across multiple Police Forces within the United Kingdom. While maintaining her competencies within custody, training gave her a wide breadth of knowledge and allowed her to pass on the skills she had developed. Gaining her Licentiate qualification over 3 years ago, alongside studying for her master’s degree in general forensic healthcare sparked her passion to give healthcare professionals and affiliate colleagues a voice within forensics.

Since becoming a Licentiate member in 2020 Stacey has worked alongside Professor Rix as the associate lead for mental health and intellectual disabilities. This enabled Stacey to dedicate time to tackling some of the complex issues presented within a modern forensic setting, advocating and raising awareness around mental health and intellectual disabilities. She now hopes that as the Vice-President for Allied Healthcare Professionals, she can dedicate some time to giving forensic practitioners of varying professions a voice in order to tackle the everyday issues faced within the forensic setting.

Vice President Legal Medicine

Dr Elaine Cook

 

 

 

 

 

I have worked for Medical Protection Society (Dental Protection) since September 2014 as a full-time Dentolegal Consultant.

I have a background as a General Dental Practitioner within the Armed Forces: the Royal Army Dental Corps for five years and then the Royal Air Force for 16 1/2 years. I currently still work in private practice on a sessional basis and I am the Senior Dental Officer on 4626 Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron within the Royal Air Force Reserves, responsible for the training and career management of all Reserve Dental Officers and Dental Nurses.

I have undertaken further postgraduate training in both dentistry and law.

I have a keen interest in Forensic Odontology and I am currently going through the BAFO Mentoring Programme and participate in a Dental Forensic Team on-call rota for the UK.

I regularly present talks and webinars to dental practitioners and dental care professionals both face to face and more recently remotely due to the Covid-19 pandemic and had a number of articles on various dental subjects published in the dental journals.

I live in rural Lincolnshire and I am kept very busy by my four rescue spaniels

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