Sir Nicholas Richard Maybury Hilliard (born 1 May 1959) is a British judge who was the

Recorder of London The Recorder of London is an ancient legal office in the City of London. The Recorder of London is the senior circuit judge at the Central Criminal Court (the Old Bailey), hearing trials of criminal offences. The Recorder is appointed by the Cr ...

, an ancient and senior legal post at the Old Bailey, and before that

Common Serjeant of London The Common Serjeant of London (full title The Serjeant-at-Law in the Common Hall) is an ancient British legal office, first recorded in 1291, and is the second most senior permanent judge of the Central Criminal Court after the Recorder of Lon ...

, the Recorder's second. He was appointed to that office in May 2013. From 6 January 2015 he was Recorder of London, the senior judge at the Old Bailey. In October 2019 it was announced that was to be appointed as a judge of the

High Court of Justice 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 ...

. He took up that appointment on 19 November 2019 ceasing to be Recorder of London.

Early life and education

Hilliard was educated at

Bradfield College Bradfield College, formally St Andrew's College, Bradfield, is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) for pupils aged 11–18, located in the small village of Bradfield in the English county of Berkshire. It is note ...

in Berkshire, and Lincoln College, Oxford. He was Called to the Bar in 1981, and was appointed as 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 ca ...

of the

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 ...

in 2003.

Career

In 1995 Hilliard was appointed Treasury Counsel at the Central Criminal Court and served in that capacity until 2008 when he was appointed Senior Treasury Counsel. In 2001 he was appointed as a recorder of the Crown Court and in 2003 became a

Master of the Bench 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 ca ...

at the

. Hilliard was Chairman of the Criminal Bar Association from 2005 to 2006. Hilliard was appointed

Queen'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 o ...

in 2008.Hilliard on the Association of Commonwealth Criminal Lawyers website
/ref> In that year he led the prosecution of the murderers of Ben Kinsella.

Prosecutor

In 2003, he led the prosecution of the case of

R v Ingram, C., Ingram, D. and Whittock, T. ''R v Ingram, C., Ingram, D. and Whittock, T.'' was a 2003 English Crown Court fraud case in which Major Charles Ingram, his wife Diana and college lecturer Tecwen Whittock were found guilty of procuring the execution of a valuable security b ...

In 2011, on behalf of the

Crown Prosecution Service The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is the principal public agency for conducting criminal prosecutions in England and Wales. It is headed by the Director of Public Prosecutions. The main responsibilities of the CPS are to provide legal advi ...

, he unsuccessfully prosecuted

Jonathan Rees Jonathan Rees is a British private investigator, and former partner of murdered private investigator Daniel Morgan. Early life and career Born in September 1954 in Doncaster, Yorkshire, Rees left school and joined the Merchant Navy, then becam ...

for the 1987 murder of

private investigator A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI and informally called a private eye), a private detective, or inquiry agent is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigators of ...

Daniel Morgan, who had been examining

police corruption Police corruption is a form of police misconduct in which law enforcement officers end up breaking their political contract and abuse their power for personal gain. This type of corruption may involve one or a group of officers. Internal pol ...

. Hilliard acknowledged the police could not be relied upon to ensure access to documents that the defence might require and the prosecution was fatally undermined as a result and Rees was discharged.Vikram Dodd and Sandra Lavill
"Scotland Yard admits Daniel Morgan's killers shielded by corruption - Victim's family attack criminal justice system after admission that defendants could not be guaranteed fair trial"
guardian.co.uk, 11 March 2011, accessed 17 July 2011

Judicial career

Hilliard was appointed a Senior Circuit Judge in 2012, making him the Resident Judge on the South Eastern Circuit, based at Woolwich Crown Court. He was subsequently appointed to the

and

roles before he was appointed as a judge of the

in November 2019. He has been a contributing editor to '' Archbold Criminal Pleading, Evidence and Practice'' since 1994.

Honourable appointments and charity

Hilliard is a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Feltmakers.Hilliard
on the Worshipful Company of Feltmakers website - 2012

External links

The Recorder of London, Nicholas Hilliard QC thanked Paul Cheston for his commitment to open justice and said he was an exemplar for court reporting.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hilliard, Nicholas 1959 births People educated at Bradfield College Alumni of Lincoln College, Oxford Living people English King's Counsel 21st-century King's Counsel Common Serjeants of London Recorders of London Members of the Middle Temple Lawyers from London 20th-century British lawyers 21st-century English judges English criminal law International criminal law scholars British prosecutors Circuit judges (England and Wales)