Derek Peter Francis Wheatley QC (died 23 September 2018) was an English

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

, legal advisor and novelist. Wheatley was educated at

University College, Oxford University College (in full The College of the Great Hall of the University of Oxford, colloquially referred to as "Univ") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It has a claim to being the oldest college of the univer ...

, going up to

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

in 1944. He became a

and was involved with the case of Isabel Earl, who was tried at the

Old Bailey The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, commonly referred to as the Old Bailey after the street on which it stands, is a criminal court building in central London, one of several that house the Crown Court of England and Wales. The s ...

for murder. As a barrister, he handled both criminal and commercial cases. Subsequently, he was a

Recorder (judge) A recorder is a judicial officer in England and Wales and some other common law jurisdictions. England and Wales In the courts of England and Wales, the term ''recorder'' has two distinct meanings. The senior circuit judge of a borough or city i ...

of the

Crown Court The Crown Court is the court of first instance of England and Wales responsible for hearing all Indictable offence, indictable offences, some Hybrid offence, either way offences and appeals lied to it by the Magistrates' court, magistrates' court ...

and a Deputy Coroner of the Queen's Household (1959–64). Later, he joined Lloyds Bank as its Chief Legal Advisor. Wheatley wrote many articles for newspapers and legal journals. He also wrote a novel, ''The Silent Lady (Mona Lisa)'', based on his experiences as a barrister, especially the Isabel Earl case. He died on 23 September 2018 at the age of 92.Derek Peter Francis Wheatley
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References

1920s births 2018 deaths Alumni of University College, Oxford English barristers English lawyers English legal writers 21st-century English novelists English King's Counsel 20th-century King's Counsel English male novelists 21st-century English male writers English male non-fiction writers {{UK-law-bio-stub