Sir Gary Robert Hickinbottom (born 22 December 1955), is a retired British judge. In 2008, he became the fourth
solicitor
A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and ...
to be appointed a
High Court judge, after
Michael Sachs
Michael Yechiel Sachs (; 3 September 1808 – 31 January 1864) was a Prussian rabbi from Groß-Glogau, Silesia.
Life
He was one of the first Jewish graduates from the modern universities, earning a Ph.D. degree in 1836. He was appointed Rabbi i ...
in 1993,
Lawrence Collins in 2000, and
Henry Hodge
Sir Henry Egar Garfield Hodge (12 January 1944 – 18 June 2009) professionally styled The Hon Mr Justice Hodge, was an English solicitor and Judge of the High Court of England and Wales.
Early life
Born in Peterborough, Hodge was educated ...
in 2004.
Legal career
He was admitted as a solicitor in 1981, and later became a partner at McKenna & Co (now part of
CMS Cameron McKenna). He became a
recorder in 1994 and then a
circuit judge in 2001. He became Chief
Social Security Commissioner and
Child Support Commissioner in 2003, and Chief
Pension Appeal Commissioner.
He has also sat as a deputy High Court judge.
Judicial career
Hickinbottom's appointment as a
High Court judge was announced in September 2008, with his assignment to the
King'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 ...
.
He was
knighted
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
by
the Queen at
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It h ...
on 20 February 2009. In 2017 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 ...
and therefore, as is customary, was also made a member of the
Privy Council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the m ...
, entitling him to the honorific "
The Right Honourable
''The Right Honourable'' (abbreviation: ''Rt Hon.'' or variations) is an honorific Style (form of address), style traditionally applied to certain persons and collective bodies in the United Kingdom, the former British Empire and the Commonwealth ...
".
Notable cases
On 16 July 2007, sitting as a deputy High Court Judge, he upheld an application for
judicial review
Judicial review is a process under which executive, legislative and administrative actions are subject to review by the judiciary. A court with authority for judicial review may invalidate laws, acts and governmental actions that are incompa ...
against the decision to slaughter
Shambo, a sacred black
Friesian bull at the
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
Skanda Vale Temple near
Llanpumsaint in
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
which tested positive for
bovine tuberculosis, holding that the Welsh government had failed to carry out the balancing exercise required by Article 9 of the
(freedom of religion).
His ruling was overturned by the Court of Appeal one week later,
and the bull was slaughtered within days.
In July 2018, sitting as a Lord Justice in the Divisional Court, he upheld the conviction of
Mike Buchanan, leader of the political party
Justice for Men and Boys for
obstructing the highway. Buchanan was arrested in June 2016 during a protest against
male circumcision
Circumcision is a surgical procedure, procedure that removes the foreskin from the human penis. In the most common form of the operation, the foreskin is extended with forceps, then a circumcision device may be placed, after which the foreskin ...
and convicted in October 2016. Rejecting Buchanan's appeal he said, "Buchanan had been perfectly legitimately protesting on the pavement. But he had then walked alone into the road and stood in front of cars as they tried to pass at the end of the working day. Standing there clearly put him at risk of serious injury - and he understood that risk, and was determined to take it - but it also put others at risk of injury or risked damage to property." The court also added a further £2,424 to his court bill of £3,603, bringing the total bill to £6,027.
In May 2022, he led an inquiry into the corruption of
Andrew Fahie in the
British Virgin Islands
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.
Further reading
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References
External links
Gary Hickinbottom Judicial Appointments Commission
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hickinbottom, Gary
1955 births
Living people
Alumni of University College, Oxford
English solicitors
21st-century English judges
Knights Bachelor
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Queen's Bench Division judges
Lords Justices of Appeal
20th-century English judges