John Saunders (English judge)
Encyclopedia
Sir John Henry Boulton Saunders (born 15 March 1949), styled The Hon. Mr Justice Saunders, is an English judge and former barrister who is currently a High Court Judge
of the Queen's Bench Division.
Saunders was called to the bar in 1972 and acted as a prosecutor for the Department of Health and Social Security
throughout the 1980s. He acted as a Recorder
(a part time judge who may still act as a barrister
in court) between 1990–2004 and "took silk" as a Queen's Counsel
in 1991.
In 2004, Saunders was appointed a full-time circuit judge as well as taking the honorary appointment of Recorder of Birmingham (the most senior judge at Birmingham Crown Court) and in April 2007 was elevated to the High Court bench
and customarily knighted.
In 2010–11, Saunders became known as the judge who presided over the trials and sentencing of several former MPs and peers in connection with the Parliamentary expenses scandal. He gave the judgment at first instance which was affirmed in both the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court in R v Chaytor
and passed sentences in excess of 12 months' imprisonment on MPs David Chaytor
, Elliot Morley
, Jim Devine
and Eric Illsley
and on Tory peers Lord Taylor of Warwick and Lord Hanningfield. During these cases he was noted for strongly criticising the leaders of all three major parties for attacking the defendant MPs during the 2010 election campaign and for allowing reporting of the proceedings via Twitter
.
Saunders also presided over the trial resulting from the Pakistan cricket spot-fixing controversy.
High Court judge
A High Court judge is a judge of the High Court of Justice, and represents the third highest level of judge in the courts of England and Wales. High Court judges are referred to as puisne judges...
of the Queen's Bench Division.
Saunders was called to the bar in 1972 and acted as a prosecutor for the Department of Health and Social Security
Department of Health and Social Security
The Department of Health and Social Security was a ministry of the British government in existence for twenty years from 1968 until 1988, and was headed by the Secretary of State for Social Services.-History:...
throughout the 1980s. He acted as a Recorder
Recorder
The recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple...
(a part time judge who may still act as a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
in court) between 1990–2004 and "took silk" as a 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 1991.
In 2004, Saunders was appointed a full-time circuit judge as well as taking the honorary appointment of Recorder of Birmingham (the most senior judge at Birmingham Crown Court) and in April 2007 was elevated to the High Court bench
High Court judge
A High Court judge is a judge of the High Court of Justice, and represents the third highest level of judge in the courts of England and Wales. High Court judges are referred to as puisne judges...
and customarily knighted.
In 2010–11, Saunders became known as the judge who presided over the trials and sentencing of several former MPs and peers in connection with the Parliamentary expenses scandal. He gave the judgment at first instance which was affirmed in both the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court in R v Chaytor
R v Chaytor
R v Chaytor and others [2010] UKSC 52 was a 2010 judgment of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. The case concerned the trials of three former Members of Parliament for false accounting in relation to the Parliamentary expenses scandal of 2009....
and passed sentences in excess of 12 months' imprisonment on MPs David Chaytor
David Chaytor
David Michael Chaytor is a former British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Bury North from 1997 to 2010. He was the first member of Parliament to be sentenced following the United Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal of 2009.On 2 June 2009, he announced that he...
, Elliot Morley
Elliot Morley
Elliot Anthony Morley is a former Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Glanford and Scunthorpe from 1987 to 1997 and then Scunthorpe from 1997 to 2010. In 2009, he was accused by The Daily Telegraph of continuing to claim parliamentary expenses for a mortgage that had...
, Jim Devine
Jim Devine
James "Jim" Devine is a former British Member of Parliament, having been the Labour Party member for Livingston from 2005 until 2010 and Chairman of the Scottish Labour Party between 1994-95....
and Eric Illsley
Eric Illsley
Eric Evlyn Illsley is a former British politician who was the Member of Parliament for Barnsley Central from 1987 until 2011. He was a Labour Party representative until suspended from the party after being charged with false accounting as part of the United Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal,...
and on Tory peers Lord Taylor of Warwick and Lord Hanningfield. During these cases he was noted for strongly criticising the leaders of all three major parties for attacking the defendant MPs during the 2010 election campaign and for allowing reporting of the proceedings via Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
.
Saunders also presided over the trial resulting from the Pakistan cricket spot-fixing controversy.