Members of Sling The Mesh, already affected by physical injury, mental health distress and financial harm, have experienced a further breach of trust – while seeking legal redress.

In good faith scores of our members instructed solicitor Darren Hanison of Fortitude Law to act for them. He promised justice and compensation. Instead, some were subjected to what a tribunal has since described as serious professional misconduct.

Hanison has now been struck off the roll of solicitors. Scroll to the bottom of this blog to read the full Tribunal decision.

A Second Trauma No One Expected

People turned to solicitor Hanison believing he would fight for them. They shared deeply personal medical histories, traumatic experiences, and hopes of finally being heard.

What followed, according to findings by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, was a pattern of serious professional misconduct. Former clients describe:

• Long periods of silence and unanswered calls
• Claims progressing without their knowledge
• Settlements agreed without consent
• Costs being deducted with no explanation
• Being told they were protected from financial risk when they were not

For people already living in survival mode, this uncertainty and loss of control caused immense distress.

Tribunal Findings: A Serious Abuse of Power

The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal upheld 17 allegations of misconduct against Hanison, describing his behaviour as:

• “Deplorable”
• “A profound failure to protect clients’ interests”
• “A deliberate and repeated abuse of power”

The tribunal found that:

• Clients were misled about settlement values
• Money was retained without proper basis
• Cases were settled without client authority
• After‑the‑event insurance was falsely claimed to exist
• Fabricated insurance documents were created

Sling The Mesh: Standing With Survivors

These women and men placed their trust in a legal professional at one of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. Instead of support, they were deceived and used.

This was not just unethical it was a serious abuse of power and a re‑traumatisation with another authority figure taking advantage of people already harmed by systemic failure.