Dame Maura Patricia McGowan DBE (born 27 January 1957), styled The Hon. Mrs Justice McGowan, is a judge of the High Court of England and Wales.

Personal life and education

She was educated at Virgo Fidelis Convent School and the

University of Manchester , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...

. McGowan is a

Trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to t ...

of the

London Irish Centre The London Irish Centre is a charity based in Camden, London, which has served the Irish community since 1955. With a recession in Ireland in the mid-20th century, and Britain in need of workers in a number of industries and services, tens o ...

Career

She was called to the bar 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 1980 and began work at '''2 Bedford Row''' and Lincoln House chambe''s', specialising in

Criminal law Criminal law is the body of law that relates to crime. It prescribes conduct perceived as threatening, harmful, or otherwise endangering to the property, health, safety, and moral welfare of people inclusive of one's self. Most criminal law i ...

. She was appointed

King's Counsel 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 ...

(previously Queen's) in 2001. McGowan was appointed 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 ...

in 2000 and assigned to the South Eastern circuit. She would later be appointed as a High Court judge in 2014 and be assigned 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 ...

. She received the customary

Dame Commander Commander ( it, Commendatore; french: Commandeur; german: Komtur; es, Comendador; pt, Comendador), or Knight Commander, is a title of honor prevalent in chivalric orders and fraternal orders. The title of Commander occurred in the medieval mil ...

in November 2014. McGowan was elected 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 2005 and later, a Treasurer for 2022."Officers of the Inn,"
Middle Temple website, retrieved 9 April 2022.

Notable cases

* Murder of Rikki Neave *

John Worboys John Derek Radford (formerly John Worboys; born June 1957) is a British convicted sex offender, known as the Black Cab Rapist. Worboys was convicted in 2009 for attacks on 12 women. Police say he may have had more than 100 victims. Early life Bo ...

2018 Westminster car attack On 14 August 2018, three people were injured when a silver Ford Fiesta hit them near the Palace of Westminster, London, England. The car then went on to crash into the separation barrier of the pavement situated between St Margaret Street / ...

Killing of Lilia Valutyte On 28 July 2022 at around 6:20p.m. local time, Lilia Valutyte, a nine-year-old girl, was stabbed in Boston, Lincolnshire, England outside an embroidery shop. She was later pronounced dead at Boston Pilgrim Hospital. Before the attack it is under ...

References

1957 births Living people Alumni of the University of Manchester Members of the Middle Temple Queen's Bench Division judges English women judges Place of birth missing (living people) Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire {{UK-law-bio-stub