Lawyer lays down rules over Miller trial review

The former lawyer probing the collapse of the Vance Miller fraud trial has emphasised his independence and authority in dealing with the case.

Stewart Dobson has been appointed to conduct a review into the bungled trading standards prosecution of the kitchens boss.

Judge Jonathon Foster QC threw the case out of court after ruling the £5 million investigation and 17-week trial had been “misconceived from the start.”

He called the prosecution “an abuse of the process of the court” and said he could not rely on the evidence of Oldham Trading Standards (OTS) head Tony Allen, who has been suspended by the council ahead of the review’s findings.

Mr Dobson worked for 32 years as a lawyer for various large local authorities, including more than 13 years for Birmingham City Council, mainly as the director of legal services but finishing his career as acting chief executive. He now works as a local government consultant and sits on the board of University Hospitals Birmingham.

Mr Dobson said: “This is a long-standing and complex case going back to 2006, and I have been asked to conduct a full review into the circumstances surrounding the abandonment of the trial on January 12, 2010, and to undertake any necessary investigation under the council’s disciplinary procedures.

“I would like to make it clear that it will be for me to decide as I think right who I should see and what I should look at as part of my review.

“The district auditor has had an input into the issues that will be reviewed and we have also agreed to continue to liaise closely throughout my time in Oldham.

“Oldham Council has further stated that it will provide me with the fullest co-operation and that it expects all other parties to do the same. I have previously conducted several such reviews for other local authorities across the UK and I am satisfied with the arrangements the council has made in order to assist me. I would like to thank the chief executive and his staff for their co-operation.

“I intend to conduct the review in a timely and open manner and to report as soon as possible.”