Sir John Patrick Basil Higgins, known as Sir Eoin Higgins (14 June 1927 – 2 September 1993), was a judge of the

High Court of Northern Ireland The courts of Northern Ireland are the civil and criminal courts responsible for the administration of justice in Northern Ireland: they are constituted and governed by the law of Northern Ireland. Prior to the partition of Ireland, Northern Ir ...

. He was knighted in 1988. Born at Town Parks,

Magherafelt Magherafelt (, �mˠaxəɾʲəˈfʲiːlt̪ˠə is a small town and civil parish in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 8,805 at the 2011 Census. It is the biggest town in the south of the county and is the social, econo ...

County Londonderry County Londonderry ( Ulster-Scots: ''Coontie Lunnonderrie''), also known as County Derry ( ga, Contae Dhoire), is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty two counties of Ireland and one of the nine counties of Ulster. B ...

and described as a "devout Roman Catholic", he studied at

St Columb's College St Columb's College ( ga, Coláiste Naomh Colum Cille) is a Roman Catholic boys' grammar school in Derry, Northern Ireland and, since 2008, a specialist school in mathematics. It is named after Saint Columba, the missionary monk from County Don ...

and at

Queen's University Belfast , mottoeng = For so much, what shall we give back? , top_free_label = , top_free = , top_free_label1 = , top_free1 = , top_free_label2 = , top_free2 = , established = , closed = , type = Public research university , parent = ...

. In 1948 he was called to the Bar and in 1967 became

Queen's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of ...

, having served in the county courts of Armagh, Fermanagh and Antrim. He was first named to a judgeship in 1971. In 1982 he became

Recorder of Belfast The Recorder of Belfast is one of the two senior County Court judges of Northern Ireland known as Recorders, the other being the Recorder of Derry. The County Court judges in Northern Ireland are senior judicial officers, hearing civil actions, ...

. He became a judge of the High Court of Northern Ireland in 1984 and was in charge of the Family Division. He was a frequent target of assassination attempts by the

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various paramilitary organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dedicated to irredentism through Irish republicanism, the belief tha ...

ever since his first judgeship in 1971 on a lower court. ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'' reported that "he was on almost every hit list they compiled, despite (or because of) his Irish nationalism." Higgins "wanted Ireland and Northern Ireland to become united, but only through peaceful methods." In 1989, he tried loyalist paramilitary Michael Stone, who had killed six Catholics, including one I.R.A terrorist, Kevin Brady, attending an outdoor funeral service for three Provisional I.R.A. terrorists. He sentenced Stone to life imprisonment with a recommendation that Stone serve at least thirty years, calling him a "dangerous and ruthless criminal".Michael Stone sentencing
''The Lewiston Daily Sun'', 4 March 1989.

Death

Sir Eoin Higgins died on 2 September 1993, aged 66, of an

aneurysm An aneurysm is an outward bulging, likened to a bubble or balloon, caused by a localized, abnormal, weak spot on a blood vessel wall. Aneurysms may be a result of a hereditary condition or an acquired disease. Aneurysms can also be a nidus (s ...

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

, where he resided.Obituary
''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', 13 September 1993. He had been due to be sworn in as a Lord Justice of Appeal of Northern Ireland the following day.

References

1927 births 1993 deaths Alumni of Queen's University Belfast Deaths from aneurysm Knights Bachelor People from Magherafelt High Court judges of Northern Ireland Recorders of Belfast Lawyers from County Londonderry {{NI-bio-stub