Sir Peter Alderidge Williams (1 December 1934 – 9 June 2015) was a New Zealand barrister and penal reform advocate. He was appointed a Queen's Counsel in 1987.

Biography

Williams was born in 1934 and educated at Feilding High School. He graduated from the University of New Zealand at Auckland in 1960. A noted defence lawyer, Williams represented high-profile clients including Terry Clark, Ronald Jorgensen,

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and Winston Peters, and was involved in having the conviction of Arthur Allan Thomas for the murders of Harvey and Jeannette Crewe overturned. During his 60-year career, he appeared in over 100 murder trials. Williams was a long-time advocate for the humane treatment of prisoners in New Zealand, and served as the head of the New Zealand Howard League for Penal Reform. He was the foundation president of the NZ Criminal Bar Association. Peter Williams family

Williams was appointed a Queen's Counsel in 1987. In 1990, he was awarded the

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, and in the

2015 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2015 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebratio ...

Williams was appointed a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the law. A private investiture was held at his home on 11 April 2015, as it was feared he might not live until the scheduled investiture on 6 May 2015 at Government House in Auckland. He died from prostate cancer at his home in the Auckland suburb of

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on 9 June 2015, survived by his wife, Lady Heeni Phillips-Williams.

Published works

Williams wrote a number of books including: * * * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Peter 1934 births 2015 deaths People educated at Feilding High School University of Auckland alumni 20th-century New Zealand lawyers New Zealand King's Counsel Prison reformers Knights Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit Deaths from cancer in New Zealand Deaths from prostate cancer People from Ohakune