Mark Hedley Explained

Sir Mark Hedley, DL (born 23 August 1946) is a British retired judge. He was a Justice of the High Court from 2002 to 2013.

Early life and education

Hedley was born on 23 August 1946 in London, England.[1] He was brought up in Africa. He was educated at Framlingham College, then an all-boys private school. He studied law at the University of Liverpool, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree.

Legal career

Hedley was called to the bar at Gray's Inn in 1969 and made a bencher in 2002. He was appointed a Recorder in 1988 and a circuit judge for the Northern Circuit in 1992.[2] On 11 January 2002, he was appointed a High Court judge, receiving the customary knighthood, and assigned to the Family Division. He retired on 10 January 2013.[3]

Ecclesiastical career

Since 1975, Hedley has been a Reader (licensed lay minister) of the Church of England. In 2002, he was appointed Chancellor of the Anglican Diocese of Liverpool.[4] In August 2024 a BBC investigation revealed that Hedley had made Decisions in his role as Deputy President of Tribunals which meant that complaints against a priest were not able to be examined fully under the Clergy Discipline Measure. Hedley wrote in his Decision: "I think it could be proved that the respondent had some non-consensual homosexual relations with the complainant." However, he declined to send the case to a tribunal because he did not think it was possible to prove that the alleged victim was under the age of 18.[5]

Honours

On 27 April 2015, Hedley was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant (DL) of Merseyside.

He was awarded the Canterbury Cross for Services to the Church of England in 2022.[6]

Notes and References

  1. News: Elston. Laura. Judge who had to make the final decision. 18 October 2017. The Guardian. 8 October 2004.
  2. Web site: The Hon Mr Justice Hedley . Debrett's People of Today . 6 January 2013.
  3. Web site: Retirement of a High Court Judge - the Honourable Sir Mark Hedley . www.justice.gov.uk . 22 May 2022 . https://archive.today/20130423185236/http://www.justice.gov.uk/news/judicial-appointments/judicial-100113-197 . 23 April 2013 . dead.
  4. 'HEDLEY, Sir Mark', Who's Who 2017, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2017; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2016; online edn, Nov 2016 accessed 18 Oct 2017
  5. Web site: 2024-08-15 . Why does the Church of England struggle to address abuse claims? . 2024-08-17 . BBC News . en-GB.
  6. Web site: Archbishop of Canterbury honours outstanding people in 2022 Lambeth Awards. The Archbishop Of Canterbury. 22 May 2022. 7 March 2022.