Sir Brian Henry Leveson
(; born 22 June 1949) is a retired English judge who served as the
President of the Queen's Bench Division
The King's Bench Division (or Queen's Bench Division when the monarch is female) of the High Court of Justice deals with a wide range of common law cases and has supervisory responsibility over certain lower courts.
It hears appeals on point ...
and Head of Criminal Justice.
Leveson chaired the
public inquiry
A tribunal of inquiry is an official review of events or actions ordered by a government body. In many common law countries, such as the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, Australia and Canada, such a public inquiry differs from a royal ...
into the culture, practices and ethics of the British
press
Press may refer to:
Media
* Print media or news media, commonly called "the press"
* Printing press, commonly called "the press"
* Press (newspaper), a list of newspapers
* Press TV, an Iranian television network
People
* Press (surname), a fam ...
, prompted by the ''
News of the World
The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national Tabloid journalism#Red tops, red top Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling En ...
''
phone hacking affair.
[Phone hacking: Prime minister reveals inquiry powers](_blank)
BBC News, 13 July 2011
Early life
Leveson was born in
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
, on 22 June 1949.
He was educated at
Liverpool College
Liverpool College is a school in Mossley Hill, Liverpool, England. It was one of the thirteen founding members of the Headmasters' Conference (HMC).
History
Liverpool College was the first of many public schools founded in the Victorian E ...
, a
public school
Public school may refer to:
* State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government
* Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...
in
Mossley Hill
Mossley Hill is a suburb of Liverpool and a Liverpool City Council ward. Located to the south of the city, it is bordered by Aigburth, Allerton, Childwall, and Wavertree. At the 2001 Census, the population was 12,650, increasing to 13,816 at t ...
, Liverpool. He studied at
Merton College, Oxford
Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is one of the Colleges of Oxford University, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the ...
and was President of the
Oxford Law Society
The Oxford Law Society (informally referred to as "LawSoc") is a student society at the University of Oxford, providing a platform for students to develop their understanding of a career in the legal industry.
It publishes a termly magazine, Ver ...
.
Legal career
Leveson was
called to the Bar
The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...
at
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn an ...
in 1970. He initially practised in Liverpool and
took silk
In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel ( post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...
in 1986.
[Lord Justice Leveson appointed as Chairman of the Sentencing Council](_blank)
Sentencing Council, 16 March 2010 Leveson became a
bencher
A bencher or Master of the Bench is a senior member of an Inn of Court in England and Wales or the Inns of Court in Northern Ireland, or the Honorable Society of King's Inns in Ireland. Benchers hold office for life once elected. A bencher can ...
in 1995,
acted as a
Recorder
Recorder or The Recorder may refer to:
Newspapers
* ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper
* ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US
* ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a news ...
between 1988 and 2000, and as a Deputy High Court Judge between 1998 and 2000.
In 2000, Leveson was appointed as a Judge of the High Court, Queen's Bench Division, and served as a Presiding Judge of the
Northern Circuit
{{Use dmy dates, date=November 2019
The Northern Circuit is a court circuit in England. It dates from 1176 when Henry II sent his judges on circuit to do justice in his name. The Circuit encompassed the whole of the North of England but in 1876 i ...
between 2002–2005.
In 2006, Leveson was appointed to the new position of Deputy Senior Presiding Judge
and, on 2 October 2006, he was appointed a
Lord Justice of Appeal
A Lord Justice of Appeal or Lady Justice of Appeal is a judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, the court that hears appeals from the High Court of Justice, the Crown Court and other courts and tribunals. A Lord (or Lady) Justice ...
. He was promoted to
Senior Presiding Judge
The Senior Presiding Judge for England and Wales is a member of the Court of Appeal appointed by the Lord Chief Justice to supervise the Presiding Judges for the various judicial circuits of England and Wales. The Senior Presiding Judge is respons ...
with effect from 1 January 2007. He was Treasurer of Middle Temple for the year 2020.
Notable cases
In 1989 Leveson was the lead prosecution counsel at the trial of comedian Ken Dodd. Dodd was charged with tax evasion, but was acquitted at Liverpool Crown Court, despite seemingly strong evidence.
Leveson was the lead prosecution counsel during the trial of
Rosemary West
Rosemary Pauline West (née Letts; born 29 November 1953) is an English serial killer who collaborated with her husband, Fred West, in the torture and murder of at least nine young women between 1973 and 1987; , who went on to be convicted for the murders of ten young women, including her own eldest daughter, in November 1995.
While sitting with
Lord Justice Mantell in the Court of Appeal in 2002 under the
Lord Chief Justice
Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...
,
Lord Woolf
Harry Kenneth Woolf, Baron Woolf, (born 2 May 1933) is a British life peer and retired barrister and judge. He was Master of the Rolls from 1996 until 2000 and Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales from 2000 until 2005. The Constitutional R ...
, he upheld the murder conviction of
James Hanratty
James Hanratty (4 October 1936 – 4 April 1962), also known as the A6 Murderer, was a British criminal who was one of the final eight people in the UK to be executed before capital punishment was effectively abolished. He was hanged at Bedfo ...
. He also presided over the trial of ex-US Marine
Toby Studebaker for charges relating to
child grooming over the internet. He sentenced 100-year-old Bernard Heginbotham, who was found guilty of manslaughter of his wife of 67 years, 87-year-old Ida, to a 12-month rehabilitation order. He also presided over the trial of two men who were found guilty in 2005 of
murdering Anthony Walker with an axe.
[ He was one of the judges in the appeal of Ruth Ellis in 2003 who said that the appeal was without merit.
In November 2007, the Criminal Division of the Court of Appeal, constituted by the ]Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...
, Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers
Nicholas Addison Phillips, Baron Phillips of Worth Matravers, (born 21 January 1938) is a British former senior judge.
Phillips was the inaugural President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, holding office between October 2009 and Oc ...
, Leveson and Mr Justice Simon, quashed the conviction of Barry George
Barry Michael George (born 15 April 1960) is an Englishman who was found guilty of the murder of English television presenter Jill Dando and whose conviction was overturned on appeal.
Dando's profile and popularity ensured high public interes ...
and ordered a retrial in relation to the murder in 2001 of BBC presenter Jill Dando
Jill Wendy Dando (9 November 1961 – 26 April 1999) was an English journalist, television presenter and newsreader. She spent most of her career at the BBC and was the corporation's Personality of the Year in 1997. At the time of her death, her ...
. He was appointed a Knight Bachelor
The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...
in 2000 and sworn as a Privy Counsellor
The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a privy council, formal body of advisers to the British monarchy, sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises Politics of the United King ...
in 2006. On 1 October 2013, Leveson was appointed President of the Queen's Bench Division
The King's Bench Division (or Queen's Bench Division when the monarch is female) of the High Court of Justice deals with a wide range of common law cases and has supervisory responsibility over certain lower courts.
It hears appeals on point ...
, succeeding Sir John Thomas.
He was one of three judges who heard an appeal in 2013 by several men who had admitted terrorist offences. One of them, Usman Khan, whose sentence was as a result changed from an "indeterminate sentence" to a "determinate term" of 16 years imprisonment, later committed the 2019 London Bridge stabbing
Nineteen or 19 may refer to:
* 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20
* one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019
Films
* ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film
* ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film
Music ...
.
Press ethics inquiry and ''News International'' phone hacking scandal
It was announced on 13 July 2011 that Leveson would lead the public inquiry
A tribunal of inquiry is an official review of events or actions ordered by a government body. In many common law countries, such as the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, Australia and Canada, such a public inquiry differs from a royal ...
into issues of British press culture, practices and ethics raised by the News International phone hacking scandal
The News International phone hacking scandal was a controversy involving the now-defunct ''News of the World'' and other British newspapers owned by Rupert Murdoch. Employees of the newspaper were accused of engaging in phone hacking, police b ...
. On 20 July, Prime Minister David Cameron announced that the scope of the inquiry had widened to include the BBC and social media.
The hearings began on Monday 14 November 2011. The full report was published on 29 November 2012 and is available online.
Later career
In 2013 Leveson was appointed as Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University
The Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University is the titular head of the university who is appointed on the approval of the board of governors. The duties of the chancellor include the conferring of degrees at graduation ceremonies and bein ...
, taking over from Brian May
Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and astrophysicist, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen (band), Queen. May was a co-founder of Queen with lead singer Fredd ...
, who stepped down at the end of his term.
In 2019, Leveson was appointed as the Investigatory Powers Commissioner
The Investigatory Powers Act 2016 (c. 25) (nicknamed the Snoopers' Charter) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which received royal assent on 29 November 2016. Its different parts came into force on various dates from 30 December 2 ...
, and re-appointed for a further three-year term in October 2022.
Personal life
Leveson and his wife Lynne (daughter of Aubrey Fishel, also from Liverpool) are Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
. The couple have three children, and live in Hampstead Garden Suburb
Hampstead Garden Suburb is an elevated suburb of London, north of Hampstead, west of Highgate and east of Golders Green. It is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations. It is an example of early twentiet ...
.
References
External links
The Rt Hon. Lord Justice Leveson
Debretts.co.uk
Sentencing Council
Lord Justice Leveson – Speeches
Judiciary of England and Wales
*
Brian Leveson
Brian Leveson, collected news and commentary, ''The Independent''
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leveson, Brian
1949 births
Living people
People educated at Liverpool College
Lawyers from Liverpool
Alumni of Merton College, Oxford
English Jews
20th-century English judges
English King's Counsel
Knights Bachelor
Lords Justices of Appeal
Members of the Middle Temple
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
People associated with Liverpool John Moores University
People associated with the News International phone hacking scandal
Presidents of the Queen's Bench Division
Fellows of Merton College, Oxford
21st-century English judges