Alexander Owens Explained

Honorific-Prefix:The Hon. Mr. Justice
Office:Judge of the High Court
Term Start:4 February 2019
Nominator:Government of Ireland
Appointer:Michael D. Higgins
Nationality:Irish

Alexander Owens is an Irish judge who has served as a Judge of the High Court since February 2019. He formerly worked as a barrister with an expertise in criminal law.

Education

Owens attended Trinity College Dublin where he obtained a BA.[1] He studied to become a barrister at the King's Inns.[2]

Legal career

He was called to the Bar in 1980 and became a senior counsel in 2000.[3] His practice focused on criminal law, and the law of conveyancing, local government and chancery law.[4] He also appeared in cases involving company law and personal injuries.[5] [6]

He frequently appeared on behalf of the Director of Public Prosecutions. He prosecuted criminal trials of a serious nature involving sexual offences, kidnapping, murder, waste offences, and terrorism offences.[7] [8] [9] [10] [11] He appeared for the Minister for Justice in an action relating to the publication of the Cloyne Report.[12]

He was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Panel of Enquiry of the University of Dublin in 2004 and subsequently became the chair.[13]

Judicial career

Owens was appointed a judge of the High Court in February 2019.[14] He has presided over cases involving extradition, sexual offences, murder, manslaughter, false imprisonment, and the proceeds of crime.[15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] Outside of criminal law he has heard cases involving child law, property, and personal injury law.[21] [22] He presided over the trial of Circuit Court judge Gerard O'Brien in December 2023.[23]

He became a judge of the Special Criminal Court in July 2019, replacing Aileen Donnelly.[24] He has acted as the presiding judge in that court.[25]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Committees - Trinity College Dublin . TCD.ie . 17 November 2020.
  2. Web site: Appointments to the High Court . merrionstreet.ie . 17 November 2020 . en . 17 March 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200317154738/http://merrionstreet.ie/en/News-Room/Releases/Appointments_to_the_High_Court11.html . live .
  3. News: John Jordan SC and Alexander Owens SC nominated for High Court . 17 November 2020 . Irish Legal News . en . 22 September 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210922225424/https://www.irishlegal.com/articles/john-jordan-sc-and-alexander-owens-sc-nominated-for-high-court . live .
  4. News: Senior counsel named for High Court . 17 November 2020 . www.lawsociety.ie . 3 August 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190803202745/https://www.lawsociety.ie/gazette/Top-Stories/senior-counsel-named-for-high-court/ . live .
  5. News: Court appoints a liquidator to 'insolvent' firm . 17 November 2020 . The Irish Times . en . 22 September 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210922225341/https://www.irishtimes.com/business/court-appoints-a-liquidator-to-insolvent-firm-1.166011 . live .
  6. News: Girl awarded €3.9m for injuries that left her a paraplegic . 17 November 2020 . The Irish Times . en . 22 September 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210922225341/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/girl-awarded-3-9m-for-injuries-that-left-her-a-paraplegic-1.1399 . live .
  7. News: Trial of man accused of rape opens . 17 November 2020 . The Irish Times . en . 22 September 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210922225421/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/trial-of-man-accused-of-rape-opens-1.1146850 . live .
  8. News: Man (20) guilty of kidnap and rape . 17 November 2020 . The Irish Times . en . 22 September 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210922225344/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/man-20-guilty-of-kidnap-and-rape-1.949702 . live .
  9. News: Man shot four times, court hears . 17 November 2020 . The Irish Times . en . 22 September 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210922225404/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/man-shot-four-times-court-hears-1.575196 . live .
  10. News: Giblin . Ruaidhrí . State challenges acquittal of man over hazardous landfill site . 17 November 2020 . The Irish Times . en . 12 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201112034425/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/circuit-court/state-challenges-acquittal-of-man-over-hazardous-landfill-site-1.3246167 . live .
  11. News: Ex-Wexford resident admits he funded Isis . 17 November 2020 . Gorey Guardian . Irish Independent . en . 22 September 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210922225410/https://www.independent.ie/regionals/goreyguardian/news/ex-wexford-resident-admits-he-funded-isis-36518407.html . live .
  12. News: Nearly all report on Cloyne abuse to be published . 17 November 2020 . The Irish Times . en . 25 August 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160825235100/http://www.irishtimes.com/news/nearly-all-report-on-cloyne-abuse-to-be-published-1.567240 . live .
  13. Web site: Minutes of Special Board Meeting, Monday 10 May 2004 . TCD.ie . 17 November 2020 . 2 November 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191102031425/https://www.tcd.ie/committeepapers/board/download/UniversityBoard_minutes_20040510.pdf . live .
  14. Web site: Diary President Appoints Judges To The High Court . president.ie . 17 November 2020 . en . 8 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201208182121/https://president.ie/en/diary/details/president-appoints-judges-to-the-high-court . live .
  15. News: O'Faolain . Aodhan . UK seeks to extradite man accused of London murder . 17 November 2020 . The Times . en . 13 June 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190613175937/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/uk-seeks-to-extradite-man-accused-of-london-murder-bb6djw3xb . live .
  16. News: Hoban . Brion . Rape victim tells court two convicted men have robbed her of last five years of her life . 17 November 2020 . Irish Examiner . 9 March 2020 . en . 24 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201224201016/https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-30986766.html . live .
  17. News: Reynolds . Paul . Man convicted of feud murder at Dublin pub . 17 November 2020 . RTÉ News . 11 September 2020 . en . 3 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201103082844/https://www.rte.ie/news/2020/0911/1164661-barr-murder-conviction/ . live .
  18. News: Reid . Natasha . Woman cleared of murder but found guilty of manslaughter of her boyfriend . 17 November 2020 . The Irish Times . en . 8 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201108001007/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/woman-cleared-of-murder-but-found-guilty-of-manslaughter-of-her-boyfriend-1.3908305 . live .
  19. News: Mansfield Jnr pleads not guilty to false imprisonment . 17 November 2020 . RTÉ News . 23 October 2020 . en . 26 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201126164835/https://www.rte.ie/news/courts/2020/1023/1173457-jim-mansfield-court/ . live .
  20. https://www.courts.ie/acc/alfresco/6786b727-9395-4fca-b5b5-4650bd46f6ac/2020_IEHC_361.pdf/pdf Criminal Assets Bureau v. John McCormack (2020) IEHC 32
  21. News: Tusla granted orders to place girl in secure facility . 17 November 2020 . RTÉ News . 25 April 2019 . en . 22 January 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210122034403/https://www.rte.ie/news/courts/2019/0425/1045726-tusla-high-court-orders/ . live .
  22. https://www.courts.ie/acc/alfresco/6dd348b0-fe6c-4ae2-aec2-d6b54107a1c5/2019_IEHC_247_1.pdf/pdf Brian O’Riordan v. SLGI (Holdings) plc (2019) IEHC 247
  23. News: Dodd . Eimear . Henry . Claire . Judge found guilty of sexually assaulting six young men while he was a teacher in the 1990s . 1 January 2024 . TheJournal.ie . 22 December 2023 . en.
  24. News: Judge Sarah Berkeley moves to Special Criminal Court . www.lawsociety.ie . 22 September 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210922225354/https://www.lawsociety.ie/pagenotfound.html?aspxerrorpath=%2Fgazette%2Ftop-stories%2Fjudge-sarah-berkeley-moves-to-special-criminal-court . live . 17 November 2020 .
  25. News: David Hunter found guilty of Tyrone man murder in Dublin pub . 17 November 2020 . Belfast Telegraph . 25 September 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200925204514/https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/republic-of-ireland/david-hunter-found-guilty-of-tyrone-man-murder-in-dublin-pub-39524782.html . live .

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