Neil Garnham Explained

Honorific-Prefix:The Honourable
Nationality:British
Birth Place:United Kingdom
Birth Date:11 February 1959
Mr Justice Garnham
Term Start:5 November 2015
Office:High Court Judge
King's Bench Division
Caption:Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom
Alma Mater:Peterhouse, Cambridge

Sir Neil Stephen Garnham (born 11 February 1959)[1] is a British High Court judge.

Garnham was educated at Ipswich School, then completed a BA at Peterhouse, Cambridge. He was called to the bar at Middle Temple in 1982. He practised from 1 Crown Office Row chambers from 1982, joining from 1 Temple Gardens.[2]

He was junior counsel to the Crown from 1995 to 2001. In 2001, he was counsel for the inquiry into the murder of Victoria Climbié.[3] In 2011 and 2012, he acted for the Metropolitan Police Service at the Leveson Inquiry.[4] [5] [6] In 2013, he represented the Government in a High Court case concerning what classified materials could be disclosed in judicial proceedings around the death of Alexander Litvinenko.[7]

He took silk in 2001 and was appointed a recorder in the same year; he served in this position until 2015. He was appointed a deputy High Court judge in 2008.

On 5 November 2015, he was appointed a judge of the High Court, serving in the Queen's Bench Division, and took the customary knighthood in the same year. He has been Presiding Judge of the Western Circuit since 2019.[8]

He married Gillian Mary Shaw in 1991, with whom he has two sons.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2019-12-01 . Garnham, Hon. Sir Neil Stephen, (born 11 Feb. 1959) . subscription . 2022-04-09 . . 10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u41464.
  2. Web site: 2015-10-30 . Neil Garnham QC has been appointed to be a High Court Judge. - 1 Crown Office Row, London, Barrister Chambers . 2022-04-09 . 1 Crown Office Row.
  3. Web site: Pook . Sally . 2001-09-27 . Twelve chances to save Victoria were missed . subscription . 2022-04-26 . The Daily Telegraph.
  4. Web site: 2012-03-05 . Phone hacking: Home Office briefed in 2006 . subscription . 2022-04-26 . The Telegraph.
  5. Web site: Martin . Evans . 2011-12-12 . Leveson Inquiry: no evidence Milly Dowler’s voicemails deleted by News of the World . subscription . 2022-04-26 . The Telegraph.
  6. Web site: Rainey . Sarah . Willis . Amy . 2011-11-15 . Leveson Inquiry first day: as it happened November 14 . subscription . 2022-04-26 . The Telegraph.
  7. Web site: Whitehead . Tom . 2013-06-27 . Senior judge backs calls for Litvinenko public inquiry . subscription . 2022-04-26 . The Telegraph.
  8. Web site: Senior Judiciary . 2022-04-26 . Judiciary UK.