Alastair Campbell, Lord Bracadale
Encyclopedia
Alastair Peter Campbell, Lord Bracadale, QC
is a Scottish
advocate
and Senator of the College of Justice
.
, Scotland
, to Rev. Donald Campbell and Margaret Campbell, although his family moved to Edinburgh
when he was just two years old, where he was brought up. He was educated at George Watson’s College, and took an M.A.
at the University of Aberdeen
. He worked initially as an English teacher, at Vale of Leven Academy in Dunbartonshire
, between 1973 and 1975 before returning to university to study law
at the University of Strathclyde
.
as a prosecutor. He was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates
in 1985, called to the English Bar
at the Inner Temple
in 1990, and served as an Advocate Depute from 1990 until 1993. In 1995, he took silk
and became Standing Junior Counsel to HM Customs and Excise. He was a member of the Criminal Justice Forum from 1996 to 1997, the Scottish Criminal Rules Council from 1996 to 1998, and of Criminal Injuries Compensation Board in 1997. In 1997 he was appointed Home Advocate Depute (Scotland's senior prosecutor) and remained in this post until 2001.
over the Lockerbie bombing
at the Scottish Court in the Netherlands
, under senior counsel former Lord Advocate
Lord Boyd of Duncansby
, and alongside Alan Turnbull
, himself now a judge. Libyan intelligence officer Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was found guilty of the two hundred and seventy murders, and was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2001. The conviction was upheld on appeal and the successful prosecution brought Campbell international prominence.
, a Judge of the Court of Session
and High Court of Justiciary
, taking the judicial title, Lord Bracadale. Bracadale
is a village on the Isle of Skye
.
He was the judge in HM Advocate v Sheridan and Sheridan
.
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
is a Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
advocate
Faculty of Advocates
The Faculty of Advocates is an independent body of lawyers who have been admitted to practise as advocates before the courts of Scotland, especially the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary...
and Senator of the College of Justice
Senator of the College of Justice
The Senators of the College of Justice are judges of the College of Justice, a set of legal institutions involved in the administration of justice in Scotland. There are three types of Senator: Lords of Session ; Lords Commissioner of Justiciary ; and the Chairman of the Scottish Land Court...
.
Early life
Campbell was born on 18 September 1949 in SkyeSkye
Skye or the Isle of Skye is the largest and most northerly island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate out from a mountainous centre dominated by the Cuillin hills...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, to Rev. Donald Campbell and Margaret Campbell, although his family moved to Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
when he was just two years old, where he was brought up. He was educated at George Watson’s College, and took an M.A.
Master of Arts (Scotland)
A Master of Arts in Scotland can refer to an undergraduate academic degree in humanities and social sciences awarded by the ancient universities of Scotland – the University of St Andrews, the University of Glasgow, the University of Aberdeen and the University of Edinburgh, while the University of...
at the University of Aberdeen
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
. He worked initially as an English teacher, at Vale of Leven Academy in Dunbartonshire
Dunbartonshire
Dunbartonshire or the County of Dumbarton is a lieutenancy area and registration county in the west central Lowlands of Scotland lying to the north of the River Clyde. Until 1975 it was a county used as a primary unit of local government with its county town and administrative centre at the town...
, between 1973 and 1975 before returning to university to study law
Strathclyde Law School
Strathclyde Law School was established in 1964 and operates within the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences at the University of Strathclyde, in Glasgow, Scotland....
at the University of Strathclyde
University of Strathclyde
The University of Strathclyde , Glasgow, Scotland, is Glasgow's second university by age, founded in 1796, and receiving its Royal Charter in 1964 as the UK's first technological university...
.
Legal career
Campbell was admitted as a solicitor in 1979 and entered the Procurator Fiscal serviceCrown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service provides the independent public prosecution service for Scotland, and is a Ministerial Department of the Scottish Government. The department is headed by Her Majesty's Lord Advocate, who under the Scottish legal system is responsible for prosecution,...
as a prosecutor. He was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates
Faculty of Advocates
The Faculty of Advocates is an independent body of lawyers who have been admitted to practise as advocates before the courts of Scotland, especially the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary...
in 1985, called to the English Bar
Barristers in England and Wales
Barristers in England and Wales are one of the two main categories of lawyer in England and Wales, the other being solicitors. -Origin of the profession:The work of senior legal professionals in England and Wales...
at the Inner Temple
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
in 1990, and served as an Advocate Depute from 1990 until 1993. In 1995, he took silk
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
and became Standing Junior Counsel to HM Customs and Excise. He was a member of the Criminal Justice Forum from 1996 to 1997, the Scottish Criminal Rules Council from 1996 to 1998, and of Criminal Injuries Compensation Board in 1997. In 1997 he was appointed Home Advocate Depute (Scotland's senior prosecutor) and remained in this post until 2001.
Lockerbie Trial
Campbell was junior counsel for the Crown (prosecutor) in the trialPan Am Flight 103 bombing trial
The Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial began on 3 May 2000, 11 years, 4 months and 13 days after the destruction of Pan Am Flight 103 on 21 December 1988...
over the Lockerbie bombing
Pan Am Flight 103
Pan Am Flight 103 was Pan American World Airways' third daily scheduled transatlantic flight from London Heathrow Airport to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport...
at the Scottish Court in the Netherlands
Scottish Court in the Netherlands
The Scottish court in the Netherlands was the special High Court of Justiciary set up under Scots law in a former United States Air Force base called Camp Zeist in Utrecht, in the Netherlands, for the trial of two Libyans charged with 270 counts of murder in connection with the bombing of Pan Am...
, under senior counsel former Lord Advocate
Lord Advocate
Her Majesty's Advocate , known as the Lord Advocate , is the chief legal officer of the Scottish Government and the Crown in Scotland for both civil and criminal matters that fall within the devolved powers of the Scottish Parliament...
Lord Boyd of Duncansby
Colin Boyd, Baron Boyd of Duncansby
Colin Boyd, Baron Boyd of Duncansby, PC, QC, was Lord Advocate for Scotland from 24 February 2000 until his resignation on 4 October 2006. On 11 April 2006, Downing Street announced that Colin Boyd would take a seat as a crossbench life peer; however he took the Labour whip after resigning as...
, and alongside Alan Turnbull
Alan Turnbull, Lord Turnbull
Alan Turnbull, Lord Turnbull is a Scottish lawyer, and a Senator of the College of Justice, a judge of the country's Supreme Courts. He was one of the lead prosecutors in the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial.-Early life:...
, himself now a judge. Libyan intelligence officer Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was found guilty of the two hundred and seventy murders, and was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2001. The conviction was upheld on appeal and the successful prosecution brought Campbell international prominence.
The Bench
In 2003, Campbell was appointed a Senator of the College of JusticeSenator of the College of Justice
The Senators of the College of Justice are judges of the College of Justice, a set of legal institutions involved in the administration of justice in Scotland. There are three types of Senator: Lords of Session ; Lords Commissioner of Justiciary ; and the Chairman of the Scottish Land Court...
, a Judge of the Court of Session
Court of Session
The Court of Session is the supreme civil court of Scotland, and constitutes part of the College of Justice. It sits in Parliament House in Edinburgh and is both a court of first instance and a court of appeal....
and High Court of Justiciary
High Court of Justiciary
The High Court of Justiciary is the supreme criminal court of Scotland.The High Court is both a court of first instance and a court of appeal. As a court of first instance, the High Court sits mainly in Parliament House, or in the former Sheriff Court building, in Edinburgh, but also sits from time...
, taking the judicial title, Lord Bracadale. Bracadale
Bracadale
Bracadale is a settlement and parish on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. It lies on the west coast of the island, west-south-west of Portree, on Loch Beag, an inlet off Loch Harport. Nearby settlements include Struan to the west and Coillore on the opposite shore of Loch Beag....
is a village on the Isle of Skye
Skye
Skye or the Isle of Skye is the largest and most northerly island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate out from a mountainous centre dominated by the Cuillin hills...
.
He was the judge in HM Advocate v Sheridan and Sheridan
HM Advocate v Sheridan and Sheridan
Her Majesty's Advocate v Thomas Sheridan and Gail Sheridan was the 2010 criminal prosecution of Tommy Sheridan, a former Member of the Scottish Parliament and his wife Gail Sheridan for perjury in relation to the earlier civil case Sheridan v News Group Newspapers.In Scotland criminal prosecutions...
.