Heather Hallett, Baroness Hallett

Last updated

Nigel Wilkinson
​
(m. 1974)​
The Right Honourable
The Baroness Hallett
DBE PC KC
Baroness Hallett.jpg
Official portrait, 2021
Vice-President of the Criminal Division of the Court of Appeal
In office
8 November 2013 –21 October 2019
Children2
Alma mater St Hugh's College, Oxford
OccupationJudge

Heather Carol Hallett, Baroness Hallett, DBE , PC , KC (born 16 December 1949), is a retired British judge of the Court of Appeal and a crossbench life peer. The first woman to chair the Bar Council and the fifth woman to sit in the Court of Appeal, Hallett led the independent inquest into the 7/7 bombings. In April 2019, she was appointed Chair of the Security Vettings Appeal Panel. In December 2021, she was announced as the chair of the public inquiry into the UK Government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. [1] On 29 June 2022, the Government accepted Baroness Hallett's proposed terms of reference for the inquiry, with minor changes suggested by the devolved administrations. [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Hallett was born in Eastleigh [3] in 1949 and was the daughter of Hugh Victor Dudley Hallett QPM (1919–1991), a beat policeman who worked his way up to the rank of assistant chief constable and secretary general of the International Police Association. [4] [5] [6] [7] Hallett recalled during BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs that one of her early childhood homes was their local police station, which doubled as a custody suite. [3] She was educated at Brockenhurst Grammar School, in the New Forest, and at St Hugh's College, Oxford.

St Hugh's College, Oxford St Hugh's College Oxford Gardens.jpg
St Hugh's College, Oxford

Hallett was called to the Bar by the Inner Temple in 1972, specialising in criminal law. She successfully defended a stepfather wrongly accused of murder in an early "cot death" related trial. [3] She was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1989 and a Bencher of Inner Temple in 1993. She was the first woman to chair the Bar Council, in 1998, having been vice-chair in 1997, and became Treasurer of the Inner Temple in 2011.

Hallett was appointed a Recorder of the Crown Court in 1989, then a deputy High Court judge in 1995, before becoming a full-time judge of the High Court in 1999, assigned to the Queen's Bench Division. As a High Court judge, she received the customary appointment as a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) on 21 July 1999. [8] She was promoted to the Court of Appeal in 2005. She was appointed a member of the Judicial Appointments Commission in January 2006, as a representative of the judiciary.

Hallett was chosen in 2009 to act as coroner in the inquest of the 52 fatal victims of the 7/7 bombings. She was widely praised for her empathy towards the inquest witnesses. [3] She began a four-year term as Vice-President of the Queen's Bench Division on 3 October 2011, succeeding Baron Thomas of Cwmgiedd. [9] In May 2012 in an appeal hearing she quashed the murder conviction of 24-year-old Sam Hallam as unsafe after he had spent seven years in prison; he was one of the youngest victims of a UK miscarriage of justice. [10]

In February 2013, she was described as the 8th most powerful woman in Britain by Woman's Hour on BBC Radio 4. [11] In November 2013, she was appointed Vice-President of the Criminal Division of the Court of Appeal, succeeding Lord Hughes of Ombersley. [12]

In March 2014, she was appointed by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to carry out an independent review of the administrative scheme by which 'letters of assurance' were sent to those known as the 'on the runs'. [13]

In December 2021, she was announced as the chair of the public inquiry into the UK government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. [14]

In July 2022, the terms of reference for the public inquiry into the UK government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic were agreed by Boris Johnson, and he launched the public inquiry. [15]

Honours and affiliations

She was appointed as a Queen's Counsel (QC) on 4 April 1989. [16]

She was sworn in as a member of Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council in 2005. This entitled her to the honorific prefix "The Right Honourable" and after ennoblement the post-nominal letters "PC" for life.

She was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) by the University of Derby in 2000. [17] She was also awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Portsmouth in 2013. [18]

On 14 June 2017 she was made an Honorary Fellow of The Academy of Experts in recognition of her contribution to The Academy's Judicial Committee and work for Expert Witnesses.

She is the patron of Women in Criminal Law. [19]

Hallett is an honorary fellow of her alma mater, St Hugh's College, Oxford.

House of Lords

Hallett was nominated for a life peerage in the 2019 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours, [20] and was created Baroness Hallett, of Rye in the County of East Sussex , on 11 October 2019. [21] She sits as a crossbencher in the House of Lords [20] and last voted in 2021.

Personal life

Hallett is married to Nigel Vivian Marshall Wilkinson, a recorder and deputy high court judge. [22] [23] They have two sons. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Usha Prashar, Baroness Prashar</span> British politician

Usha Prashar, Baroness Prashar is a British politician and a crossbench member of the House of Lords. Since the 1970s, she has served as a director or chair of a variety of public and private sector organisations. She became the first chair of the Judicial Appointments Commission upon its creation in April 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Cullen, Baron Cullen of Whitekirk</span> Scottish jurist and advocate

William Douglas Cullen, Baron Cullen of Whitekirk, is a former senior member of the Scottish judiciary. He formerly served as Lord Justice General and Lord President of the Court of Session, and was an additional Lord of Appeal in the House of Lords prior to the transfer of its judicial functions to the Supreme Court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brenda Hale, Baroness Hale of Richmond</span> British judge (born 1945)

Brenda Marjorie Hale, Baroness Hale of Richmond,, is a British judge who served as President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom from 2017 until her retirement in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, Baroness Butler-Sloss</span> English judge (born 1933)

Ann Elizabeth Oldfield Butler-Sloss, Baroness Butler-Sloss, GBE, PC is a retired English judge. She was the first female Lord Justice of Appeal and was the highest-ranking female judge in the United Kingdom until 2004, when Baroness Hale was appointed to the House of Lords. Until June 2007, she chaired the inquests into the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales, and Dodi Fayed. She stood down from that task with effect from that date, and the inquest was conducted by Lord Justice Scott Baker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elish Angiolini</span> Scottish lawyer (born 1960)

Lady Elish Frances Angiolini is a Scottish lawyer who currently serves as Lord Clerk Register. Angiolini has worked at the University of Oxford since 2012 and has been identified as a potential candidate in the 2024 University of Oxford Chancellor election.

The Vice-President of the Criminal Division is a Lord Justice of Appeal who assists the Lord Chief Justice, the President of the Criminal Division of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales. The post was created by Lord Bingham of Cornhill during his tenure as Lord Chief Justice. He appointed Sir Christopher Rose to take up some of the burden of his duties with respect to the Criminal Division, while appointing Sir Paul Kennedy Vice-President of the Queen's Bench Division to do the same regarding that division of the High Court. This allowed Lord Bingham to spend time hearing cases in both divisions as well as the Queen's Bench Divisional Court and the Crown Court. The current holder is Sir Timothy Holroyde.

Dame Janet Hilary Smith,, styled The Rt Hon. Lady Justice Smith, is an English barrister and former High Court Judge and President of the Council of The Inns of Court. She was the judge who prepared The Shipman Inquiry and the Dame Janet Smith Review,.

Sir John Bernard Goldring is a British judge. He currently sits as the President of the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal, and serves as the Deputy Investigatory Powers Commissioner. He formerly sat on the Court of Appeal of England and Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuala O'Loan, Baroness O'Loan</span> Public figure in Northern Ireland, Police Ombudsman and parliamentarian

Nuala Patricia O'Loan, Baroness O'Loan,, is a public figure in Northern Ireland. From 1999 to 2007, she was the first Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland. In July 2009, it was announced that she was to be appointed to the House of Lords and she was so appointed in September 2009. In December 2010, National University of Ireland, Maynooth, appointed her as the chairman of its governing authority. She is a columnist with The Irish Catholic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adrian Fulford</span> British judge (born 1953)

Sir Adrian Bruce Fulford is a retired Lord Justice of Appeal. From 2017 to 2019, he was the first Investigatory Powers Commissioner, and was the Vice-President of the Court of Appeal in 2019, succeeding Lady Justice Hallett.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Rafferty</span> English jurist

Dame Anne Judith Rafferty, is an English jurist, who served as a Lady Justice of Appeal of England and Wales from 2011 to 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Sharp</span> British jurist (born 1956)

Dame Victoria Madeleine Sharp,, PC is a British barrister and judge. She has been the President of the King's Bench Division of the High Court of Justice since 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dido Harding</span> British businesswoman and Conservative life peer (born 1967)

Diana Mary "Dido" Harding, Baroness Harding of Winscombe is a British businesswoman and life peer who served as chair of NHS Improvement from 2017 to 2021 and as interim chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and head of NHS Test and Trace from 2020 to 2021.

Sir Brian Henry Leveson is a retired English judge who served as the President of the Queen's Bench Division and Head of Criminal Justice.

Sir Martin James Moore-Bick, PC is a retired judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sue Carr, Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill</span> British judge (born 1964)

Sue Lascelles Carr, Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill, is an English judge who has served as Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales since 1 October 2023. She is the first woman to serve as the head of the judiciary of England and Wales since the inception of the office of Lord Chief Justice in the 13th century. Carr previously served as a High Court judge from 2013 to 2020 and a Lady Justice of Appeal from 2020 to 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Burnett, Baron Burnett of Maldon</span> British judge (born 1958)

Ian Duncan Burnett, Baron Burnett of Maldon,, is a British judge who served as Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales from 2017 to 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lowell Goddard</span> New Zealand High Court judge

Dame Lowell Patria Goddard, is a former New Zealand High Court judge, from 1995 to 2015. She is thought to be the first person of Māori ancestry to have been appointed to the High Court. In 1988, she was one of the first two women to be appointed Queen's Counsel in New Zealand and in 1989 became the first woman to hold a Crown warrant. In 1992, she became Deputy Solicitor-General for New Zealand. Between 2007 and 2012 she chaired New Zealand's Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA). In 2010 she was elected as an independent expert to the United Nations Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture (SPT) and served in that capacity until 2016. From February 2015 until August 2016, she chaired the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse in England and Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Blackwell (barrister)</span> British barrister

Kate Blackwell KC is a British barrister. Head of Chambers at Lincoln House Chambers in Manchester, she became a Crown Court Recorder in 2009 and Queen's Counsel in 2012. Blackwell has been described by The Guardian as a ‘no-nonsense prosecutor’.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UK COVID-19 Inquiry</span> Public inquiry into the United Kingdoms handling of COVID-19

The UK Covid-19 Inquiry is an ongoing, independent public inquiry into the United Kingdom's response to, and the impact of, the COVID-19 pandemic, and to learn lessons for the future. Public hearings began in June 2023. Boris Johnson announced the inquiry in May 2021, to start in Spring 2022. In December 2021, Heather Hallett was announced as the chair of the inquiry.

References

  1. ↑ "Ex-High Court judge Baroness Hallett to chair Covid inquiry". BBC News. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  2. ↑ HM Government. "Acceptance of COVID-19 Inquiry Terms of Reference". Gov.UK. HM Government.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "BBC Radio 4 - Desert Island Discs, Heather Hallett, former judge and crossbench peer". BBC. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Hallett" . Who's Who . A & C Black. 2020. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U18690.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  5. ↑ "Law: You call it trouble, I call it success" . Independent.co.uk . October 1998. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  6. ↑ "Lady Justice Hallett: profile". 8 November 2011. Retrieved 16 August 2018– via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  7. ↑ Who's Who in the United Nations and Related Agencies, Arno Press, 1975, p. 236
  8. ↑ "No. 55574". The London Gazette . 6 August 1999. p. 8517.
  9. ↑ "Appointment of Vice-President of the Queen's Bench Division and Deputy Senior Presiding Judge" (Press release). Judiciary of England and Wales. 27 July 2011. Archived from the original on 18 December 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
  10. ↑ Sam Hallam freed on bail in murder conviction appeal BBC News, Retrieved on 16 May 2012.
  11. ↑ "Woman's Hour - The Power List 2013 - BBC Radio 4". BBC. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  12. ↑ "Appointment of new Vice President of the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)" (Press release). Judiciary of England and Wales. 8 November 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  13. ↑ "Statement by the Hallett Review, 27 March 2014" (Press release). The Hallett Review. 27 March 2014. Archived from the original on 2 May 2014.
  14. ↑ "COVID public inquiry: Former appeal court judge Baroness Hallett to chair probe". Sky News. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  15. ↑ "Covid: Terms of inquiry into UK pandemic response finalised". BBC News. 28 June 2022.
  16. ↑ "Queen's Counsel Appointment's 1989". The London Gazette. 11 April 1989. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  17. ↑ "Honorary Graduates". The University of Derby. 4 June 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  18. ↑ "Honorary degree recipients". The University of Portsmouth. 1 June 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  19. ↑ Hill, Perveen. "Women in criminal law". Law Gazette. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  20. 1 2 "Resignation Peerages 2019" (PDF). Cabinet Office. 10 September 2019.
  21. ↑ "No. 62799". The London Gazette . 17 October 2019. p. 18632.
  22. ↑ "Wilkinson, Nigel Vivian Marshall" . Who's Who . A & C Black. 2022. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U39871.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  23. ↑ Bates, Stephen (11 October 2010). "Profile: Lady Justice Hallett". the Guardian. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.