Michael Sachs (judge)
Encyclopedia
Sir Michael Alexander Geddes Sachs (8 April 1932 - 25 September 2003) was the second English
solicitor
after John Wall
to be appointed as a High Court judge
. Since his appointment in 1993, only three other solicitors have been appointed to the High Court - Lawrence Collins
in 2000, Henry Hodge
in 2004 and Gary Hickinbottom
in 2008.
, the son of a GP
and a nurse. He was raised in Penrith
and educated at Sedbergh School
. He read law at Manchester University and took his articles at Slater, Heelis & Co in Manchester
. He was a supporter of Manchester United F.C.
, he returned to Slater Heelis in 1959 to work on crime, family, personal injury and common law matters. He became a partner at Slater Heelis in 1962. He acted for defendants charged with offences relating to IRA bombings in the 1970s. He was president of Manchester Law Society in 1978-9, a member of the Law Society Council from 1979 to 1984, and chairman of the Law Society
's standing committee on criminal law from 1982 to 1984.
His judicial career began in 1977, when was appointed as a deputy circuit judge. He became a recorder
on 9 July 1980. He left his firm and retired from private practice in 1984, on being appointed a full circuit judge. He worked for 18 months in Liverpool and then in Manchester, mostly on criminal work.
After a rally in 1989, at which Dr Kalim Siddiqui
, director of the Muslim Institute in London, suggested that there should be a vote on whether Salman Rushdie should die for his blasphemous
novel The Satanic Verses
, Sachs ordered the BBC to give their film of the rally to the police.
In 1989 and 1990, he presided at the 16-week trial of Kevin Taylor and three other men on charges of conspiracy to defraud
. After Sachs ruled that some of the prosecution's evidence was inadmissible, the trial ended with the prosecution offering no further evidence, and Taylor was acquitted. Taylor later claimed he had been targeted for malicious prosecution, as a way to smear his friend, the former Deputy Chief Constable
of Greater Manchester
John Stalker
, who had been conducting an inquiry into the Royal Ulster Constabulary
"shoot to kill
" policy.
on 27 October 1993. He also became an honorary bencher
at the Middle Temple
and an honorary member of the Law Society
that year, and received an honorary doctorate of law from Manchester University in 1994. He also occasionally sat as a member of the Court of Appeal.
In June 1993, he presided at the five-month trial of 11 men for their parts in the 1990 Strangeways Prison riot
, sentencing them to a total of 88 years in prison. He presided at the trial of a garage owner from Stockport
in 1994, sentencing him to life imprisonment
for murder
ing two MoT
inspectors. He sent a farmer from Totnes
to prison for three months in December 1995 for contempt of court
, after the farmer had concealed his illegally built house by removing one floor and then covered it over with earth and grass, rather complying with a court order
to demolish it.
In 1997, after the trial of a former psychiatric nurse for the manslaughter of her handicapped 14-year-old daughter, he passed an 18-month suspended sentence
and supervision order.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
after John Wall
John Wall (judge)
Sir John Anthony Wall CBE was a British lawyer and the first visually impaired judge of the High Court of Justice of the 20th century....
to be appointed as a High Court judge
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...
. Since his appointment in 1993, only three other solicitors have been appointed to the High Court - Lawrence Collins
Lawrence Collins
Lawrence Antony Collins, Baron Collins of Mapesbury, PC , is a British judge and former Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. He was also appointed to the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong on April 11, 2011 as a non-permanent judges from other common law jurisdictions...
in 2000, Henry Hodge
Henry Hodge
Sir Henry Egar Garfield Hodge, OBE , styled The Hon. Mr Justice Hodge, was an English solicitor and judge of the High Court of England and Wales....
in 2004 and Gary Hickinbottom
Gary Hickinbottom
Sir Gary Robert Hickinbottom , styled The Hon. Mr Justice Hickinbotton, is a British judge. In 2008, he became the fifth solicitor to be appointed a High Court judge, after John Wall in 1990, Michael Sachs in 1993, Lawrence Collins in 2000, and Henry Hodge in 2004.He was admitted as a solicitor in...
in 2008.
Early life
Sachs was born in GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, the son of a GP
General practitioner
A general practitioner is a medical practitioner who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes. They have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues and comorbidities...
and a nurse. He was raised in Penrith
Penrith, Cumbria
Penrith was an urban district between 1894 and 1974, when it was merged into Eden District.The authority's area was coterminous with the civil parish of Penrith although when the council was abolished Penrith became an unparished area....
and educated at Sedbergh School
Sedbergh School
Sedbergh School is a boarding school in Sedbergh, Cumbria, for boys and girls aged 13 to 18. Nestled in the Howgill Fells, it is known for sporting sides, such as its Rugby Union 1st XV.-Background:...
. He read law at Manchester University and took his articles at Slater, Heelis & Co in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. He was a supporter of Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
Career
After qualifying as a solicitor, and then undertaking National ServiceNational service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
, he returned to Slater Heelis in 1959 to work on crime, family, personal injury and common law matters. He became a partner at Slater Heelis in 1962. He acted for defendants charged with offences relating to IRA bombings in the 1970s. He was president of Manchester Law Society in 1978-9, a member of the Law Society Council from 1979 to 1984, and chairman of the Law Society
Law society
A Law Society in current and former Commonwealth jurisdictions was historically an association of solicitors with a regulatory role that included the right to supervise the training, qualifications and conduct of lawyers/solicitors...
's standing committee on criminal law from 1982 to 1984.
His judicial career began in 1977, when was appointed as a deputy circuit judge. He became a recorder
Recorder (judge)
A Recorder is a judicial officer in England and Wales. It now refers to two quite different appointments. The ancient Recorderships of England and Wales now form part of a system of Honorary Recorderships which are filled by the most senior full-time circuit judges...
on 9 July 1980. He left his firm and retired from private practice in 1984, on being appointed a full circuit judge. He worked for 18 months in Liverpool and then in Manchester, mostly on criminal work.
After a rally in 1989, at which Dr Kalim Siddiqui
Kalim Siddiqui
Kalim Siddiqui, Ph.D. was an Indian British writer and Islamic activist.-Early life:Siddiqui was born in the village of Dondi Lohara, CP, British India on September 15, 1931...
, director of the Muslim Institute in London, suggested that there should be a vote on whether Salman Rushdie should die for his blasphemous
Blasphemy
Blasphemy is irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things. Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy, while others have laws to give recourse to those who are offended by blasphemy...
novel The Satanic Verses
The Satanic Verses
The Satanic Verses is Salman Rushdie's fourth novel, first published in 1988 and inspired in part by the life of Prophet Muhammad. As with his previous books, Rushdie used magical realism and relied on contemporary events and people to create his characters...
, Sachs ordered the BBC to give their film of the rally to the police.
In 1989 and 1990, he presided at the 16-week trial of Kevin Taylor and three other men on charges of conspiracy to defraud
Conspiracy to defraud
Conspiracy to defraud is an offence under the common law of England and Wales and Northern Ireland.-England and Wales:The standard definition of a conspiracy to defraud was provided by Lord Dilhorne in Scott v Metropolitan Police Commissioner, when he said that Conspiracy to defraud therefore...
. After Sachs ruled that some of the prosecution's evidence was inadmissible, the trial ended with the prosecution offering no further evidence, and Taylor was acquitted. Taylor later claimed he had been targeted for malicious prosecution, as a way to smear his friend, the former Deputy Chief Constable
Deputy Chief Constable
Deputy chief constable is the second highest rank in all territorial police forces in the United Kingdom , as well as the British Transport Police, Ministry of Defence Police and Civil Nuclear...
of Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
John Stalker
John Stalker
John Stalker is a former Deputy Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, now residing in Lymm. He headed the Stalker Inquiry that investigated the shooting of suspected members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army in 1982. He has also had a television and literary career.-Career:Stalker...
, who had been conducting an inquiry into the Royal Ulster Constabulary
Royal Ulster Constabulary
The Royal Ulster Constabulary was the name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2000. Following the awarding of the George Cross in 2000, it was subsequently known as the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC. It was founded on 1 June 1922 out of the Royal Irish Constabulary...
"shoot to kill
Shoot-to-kill policy in Northern Ireland
During the period known as "the Troubles" in Northern Ireland, the British Army and Royal Ulster Constabulary were accused of operating a shoot-to-kill policy, under which suspects were alleged to have been deliberately killed without any attempt to arrest them...
" policy.
High Court career
He was appointed a High Court judge on 21 June 1993, and assigned to the Queen's Bench Division, receiving the customary knighthoodKnight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
on 27 October 1993. He also became an honorary bencher
Bencher
A bencher or Master of the Bench is a senior member of an Inn of Court in England and Wales. Benchers hold office for life once elected. A bencher can be elected while still a barrister , in recognition of the contribution that the barrister has made to the life of the Inn or to the law...
at the Middle Temple
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn...
and an honorary member of the Law Society
Law Society of England and Wales
The Law Society is the professional association that represents the solicitors' profession in England and Wales. It provides services and support to practising and training solicitors as well as serving as a sounding board for law reform. Members of the Society are often consulted when important...
that year, and received an honorary doctorate of law from Manchester University in 1994. He also occasionally sat as a member of the Court of Appeal.
In June 1993, he presided at the five-month trial of 11 men for their parts in the 1990 Strangeways Prison riot
1990 Strangeways Prison riot
The 1990 Strangeways Prison riot was a 25-day prison riot and rooftop protest at Strangeways Prison in Manchester, England. The riot began on 1 April 1990 when prisoners took control of the prison chapel, and the riot quickly spread throughout most of the prison...
, sentencing them to a total of 88 years in prison. He presided at the trial of a garage owner from Stockport
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
in 1994, sentencing him to life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
for murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ing two MoT
Mot
In Ugaritic Mot 'Death' is personified as a god of death. The word is cognate with forms meaning 'death' in other Semitic and Afro-Asiatic languages: with Arabic موت mawt; with Hebrew מות ; with Maltese mewt; with Syriac mautā; with Ge'ez mot; with Canaanite, Egyptian Aramaic, Nabataean, and...
inspectors. He sent a farmer from Totnes
Totnes
Totnes is a market town and civil parish at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
to prison for three months in December 1995 for contempt of court
Contempt of court
Contempt of court is a court order which, in the context of a court trial or hearing, declares a person or organization to have disobeyed or been disrespectful of the court's authority...
, after the farmer had concealed his illegally built house by removing one floor and then covered it over with earth and grass, rather complying with a court order
Court order
A court order is an official proclamation by a judge that defines the legal relationships between the parties to a hearing, a trial, an appeal or other court proceedings. Such ruling requires or authorizes the carrying out of certain steps by one or more parties to a case...
to demolish it.
In 1997, after the trial of a former psychiatric nurse for the manslaughter of her handicapped 14-year-old daughter, he passed an 18-month suspended sentence
Suspended sentence
A suspended sentence is a legal term for a judge's delaying of a defendant's serving of a sentence after they have been found guilty, in order to allow the defendant to perform a period of probation...
and supervision order.