His Hon. Judge Brian John Barker, QC

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...

 (born 1945) is a British judge and the current Common Serjeant of London

Common Serjeant of London

The Common Serjeant of London is an ancient British legal office, first recorded in 1317, and is the second most senior permanent judge of the Central Criminal Court after the Recorder of London, acting as deputy to that office, and sitting as a judge in the trial of criminal offences.The Common...

, the second most senior judge at the Old Bailey

Old Bailey

The Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court...

.

Barker was called to the Bar by Gray's Inn

Gray's Inn

The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, 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 1969 and was a leading criminal barrister

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...

 excelling as a prosecutor and a defender. He served as Chairman of the Criminal Bar Association. He was appointed Queen's Counsel

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...

 in 1990, and was appointed a circuit judge at the Old Bailey in 2000.

Barker was appointed as the 79th holder of the post of Common Serjeant of London

Common Serjeant of London

The Common Serjeant of London is an ancient British legal office, first recorded in 1317, and is the second most senior permanent judge of the Central Criminal Court after the Recorder of London, acting as deputy to that office, and sitting as a judge in the trial of criminal offences.The Common...

 (the second most senior judge at the Old Bailey

Old Bailey

The Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court...

) in 2005, succeeding Judge Peter Beaumont QC. He has since presided over trials including those of Umran Javed

Umran Javed

Umran Javed is a former spokesman for Al-Muhajiroun, a designated and banned terrorist organization. A British court found Javed guilty of soliciting to murder and inciting racial hatred for repeatedly chanting "bomb, bomb, USA," "bomb, bomb, Denmark," "we want Danish blood!," "UK you will pay!,"...

, the murderers of Jody Dobrowski

Jody Dobrowski

‎Jody Dobrowski was a 24-year-old assistant bar manager who was murdered on Clapham Common in south London. On 14 October, at around midnight, he was beaten to death with punches and kicks by two men who believed him to be gay. Tests carried out at St...

, the murder trial of rapper

Rapping

Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...

 'Crazy Titch

Crazy Titch

Carl Dobson , known by his stage name Crazy Titch, is an English grime Mc Having previously spent five years in Aylesbury for robbery, handling stolen goods, theft, burglary and criminal damage; Dobson turned his attention to music, and secured a support role with D12...

', aka Carl Dobson, and the murder of Ben Kinsella

Murder of Ben Kinsella

Ben Michael Kinsella was a 16-year-old English student at Holloway School. Kinsella was murdered by a gang of black men in Islington, London after an argument in which he was described as "blameless"...

.

Barker is married to Dame Anne Rafferty

Anne Rafferty

Dame Anne Judith Rafferty DBE is a Lord Justice of Appeal.-Career:Educated at Wolverhampton Girls' High School and a graduate of the University of Sheffield, Rafferty was the first woman Chair of the Criminal Bar Association. She became a Queen's Counsel in 1990 and a Recorder the following year....

 QC, one of the United Kingdom's few female High Court

High Court of Justice

The High Court of Justice is, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, one of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...

 judges, with whom he has three daughters. Another daughter, who had Down's syndrome, died aged two.

He lists his hobbies as golf and sheep rearing. Barker is a Governor of Sir John Cass's Foundation, one of London's oldest and largest education charities, which was founded in 1748. Barker is a Freeman of the City of London, and Liveryman

Liveryman

For Livery Companies in the City of London, a Liveryman is a full member of their respective Company.Livery Company members fall into two basic categories: Freemen and Liverymen. One may join as a Freeman, and thereby acquire the "Freedom of the Company", upon fulfilling the Company's criteria...

 of the Worshipful Company of Coopers

Worshipful Company of Coopers

The Worshipful Company of Coopers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The organisation of Coopers existed in 1422; it received a Royal Charter of incorporation in 1501...

 serving on the Court of Assistants.

On 18 September 2008 Barker was questioned by the police after knocking a cyclist off his bicycle outside the Old Bailey

Old Bailey

The Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court...

.

External links

• Barker presiding over the Martin Dinnegan murder trial
• Barker presiding over the Tom-Louis Easton murder trial
• Barker presiding over the Banaz Mahmod murder trial
• http://www.arbitratorscompany.org/pdfs/barker_051025.pdfSpeech given by Barker to The Worshipful Company of Arbitrators
  Worshipful Company of Arbitrators
  The Worshipful Company of Arbitrators is the 93rd Livery Company of the City of London. The organisation became a Livery Company on 17 March 1981. The Company supports education in the field of arbitration. It also functions as a charitable institution. Its motto is Law and Custom.There are two...
  
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