Steven Gerrard's prosecutor on last week's affray trial, Eddie Gilfoyle and Al Qaeda terrorists

Mr Turner, in remarks printed in the ECHO today, says the evidence Gerrard acted in self-defence during a brawl in a Southport bar was "strong". He also rubbishes claims the Liverpool captain benefited from a sympathetic local jury.

Exchange Chambers also said they were "surprised" Gerrard's legal team briefed London's John Kelsey-Fry, QC, rather than Mr Turner himself. Kelsey-Fry, who had represented Sharon Stone and jockey Kieren Fallon, reportedly earned £250,000 for defending Gerrard.

Chambers Director Tom Handley added: "No doubt bringing in team from London of that standing was very expensive. We certainly feel that we could provide appropriate representation from Liverpool, no doubt about that. Comments about Mr Turner have supported that."

Sat in Mr Turner's Derby Square chambers, it was impossible not to veer onto other topics of conversation.

Southport-born Mr Turner - an old boy of the town's King George V school and a graduate of Queens College, Cambridge - represented one of the boys convicted of killing James Bulger, was Eddie Gilfoyle's defence counsel and last year spent four months defending an Al Qaeda terrorist.

And aside from a fascinating CV, the 62-year-old father of three (all Evertonians, we're told), was a charismatic raconteur who clearly cared about both the state of the profession and his junior colleagues.

Mr Turner, a former cabaret director of the Cambridge footlights, features in Clive James' memoir "May Week Was In June". James says Mr Turner "did show business a disservice by staying out of it".

I was treated to a few lines of "Rebecca (the double decker)" a "Liverpool folk song" penned by Mr Turner himself.

But down to business...

Mr Turner on the Eddie Gillfoyle case.

Gilfoyle is currently serving jail time for murdering his wife Paula, whose body was found hanging in their Wirral home's garage in 1992. He was convicted of murder the following year but maintains his innocence. His case has gone to the Court of Appeal twice and The Times newspaper has run a series of articles about potential new evidence coming to light.

Mr Turner said: "I think there will probably be a third appeal, but on the basis of lack of disclosure, which always interests the Court of Appeal.

"The police didn't disclose certain medical evidence but as the medical evidence is from a doctor who attended the scene rather than a pathologist, it's difficult to know whether that's going to be significant enough to support an appeal in light of the other evidence against him.

"This was a very emotional case. Although suicide is now being put forward as a defence, at the trial so many witnesses spoke of how happy, vivacious and bubbly she was in the days and hours before her death that the jury may have thought that suicide was highly unlikely in a woman who had bought a book of baby names for her children that morning."

On The Times' coverage, he added: "I think it's good that the press should get involved in important issues."

Mr Turner on terror cases.

"The thing about these cases is that the jury are much more sympathetic to terrorists than you would expect. That shows how fair British justice is, so to speak.

"Very often the terrorists appear to be so ham-fisted and poor that we forget just how dangerous they can be. You may be stupid, but if you've got Gelignite strapped to your body you're very dangerous."