The chair of Mersey Care NHS Trust has been summonsed to court after a private prosecution brought by the Moors Murderer Ian Brady's lawyer.
Robin Makin, son of famous Liverpool solicitor to the stars Rex Makin, launched the case against ex-Labour and Liberal Democrat councillor Beatrice Fraenkel.
Ms Fraenkel became chair of Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the region's mental health, community and prison healthcare services, in 2008.
Ms Fraenkel, an industrial design engineer and former chair of the Ropewalks Partnership, faces two charges of being an unqualified person pretending to be a solicitor, contrary to Section 21 of the Solicitors Act 1974.
According to the charges, she "wilfully took or used a name, title, addition or description which implied that you were qualified or recognised by law as being qualified to act as a solicitor" on three occasions this year.
The ECHO understands the charges relate to information published in Mersey Care reports.
An initial hearing was held at Liverpool Magistrates' Court today, although Ms Fraenkel was not required to attend in person and has yet to enter a plea.
Deputy district judge Rhys Williams adjourned the case until next month.
Earlier this year Ms Fraenkel was awarded the Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
At the time, Joe Rafferty, Mersey Care’s chief executive, said: "Beatrice’s expertise has assisted the Trust to significantly improve our estate.
"She has been a consistent voice, nationally, for the need to lift the standards expected for mental health, which for so long trailed behind the care provided for physical health."
Moors Murderer Ian Brady, alongside his lover Myra Hindley, murdered five children in the 1960s and buried their bodies on Saddleworth Moor.
Brady died in Ashworth high security hospital, in Maghull, in May, 2017, and Mr Makin was instructed to execute his will.
Mr Makin has also represented the family of murdered toddler James Bulger in their efforts to remove an anonymity order protecting the new identity of the two-year-old's killer Jon Venables.
James' dad Ralph Bulger challenged the strict order, with the support of the toddler's mum Denise Fergus, after it came to light that Venables had twice been convicted of possessing indecent images of children.
Mr Makin told the High Court in February: "This a very high-profile matter and indeed it is one where the current situation is unprecedented, in which we now have a child murderer who has, as an adult, committed two sets of serious sexual offences and is undoubtedly a danger to the public."
His father, Rex Makin , who died in 2017, was the family solicitor to Brian Epstein, who in 1963 sought his advice on setting up a perpetually binding contract between himself and the Beatles .
Rex was involved in the Knowsley Hall murder case - in which Lady Derby was shot - the Walton sextuplets, and successfully appealing the conviction of George Kelly, a young Liverpool labourer hung at Walton jail in 1950.
He also provided legal advice to a variety of celebrities including John Lennon, Gerry Marsden, Liverpool FC manager Bill Shankly, Anne Robinson, Ken Dodd and Carla Lane.
Mersey Care has been contacted for comment.
