Sir John Percy Ashworth, (3 February 1906 – 26 September 1975) was a British

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

and

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 ...

Biography

He was the son of Percy Ashworth of Ollerton,

Bolton Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish people, Flemish weavers settled in the area i ...

and Fradswell Hall, Stafford, and his wife Annie Isabel Brooks, daughter of John Close Brooks of

Birtles Hall Birtles Hall is a country house in the parish of Over Alderley, Cheshire, England. It was built in about 1819 for the West Indies merchant Robert Hibbert. The interior of the house was badly damaged by fire in 1938, and it was reconstructed by ...

. He was educated at

Sandroyd School Sandroyd School is an independent co-educational preparatory school for day and boarding pupils aged 2 to 13 in the south of Wiltshire, England. The school's main building is Rushmore House, a 19th-century country house which is surrounded by the ...

then

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of the ...

before going to

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

. In 1930 he became a barrister of the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

. In 1940 he became an intelligence officer. Ashworth served as

Junior Counsel to the Treasury (Common Law) Devilling is the period of training, pupillage or junior work undertaken by a person wishing to become an advocate in one of the English-speaking common law systems of the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, and Australia. Etymology While there ...

(one of the British government's most senior lawyers) from 1950 to 1954, and was a

Judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

of the

High Court of Justice of England and Wales The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Senior Courts of England and Wales. Its name is abbreviated as EWHC (Englan ...

from 1954 till his death. Among the cases that he adjudged was the

murder of John Alan West The murder of John Alan West on 7 April 1964 was the crime which led to the last death sentences being carried out in the United Kingdom. West, a 53-year-old van driver for a laundry company, was beaten and stabbed to death by Gwynne Evans and P ...

by Gwynne Evans and Peter Allen: this resulted in the last death sentences to be carried out in the United Kingdom.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashworth, John 1906 births 1975 deaths English barristers Queen's Bench Division judges People educated at Sandroyd School Knights Bachelor Deputy Lieutenants of Staffordshire Members of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century English lawyers