John Kay (judge)
Sir John William Kay PC (13 September 1943 – 2 July 2004) was a Lord Justice of Appeal, a member of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales from 2000 until his death.[1]
Sir John Kay | |
|---|---|
| Lord Justice of Appeal | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 September 1943 |
| Died | 2 July 2004 (aged 60) |
| Nationality | British |
| Children | 3 (including Ben Kay and Amanda Yip) |
| Alma mater | Christ's College, Cambridge |
Career
After being called to the bar in 1968 following a brief stint as a schoolteacher, he became a Queen's Counsel in 1984 and was named to the High Court of Justice of England and Wales in 1992.
On the Court of Appeal he upheld the conviction of mass murderer Jeremy Bamber in 2002, perhaps his most celebrated case. He subsequently overturned the murder conviction of Sally Clark, accused of killing her two young sons, and dismissed the posthumous appeal in the name of the executed Ruth Ellis on largely technical grounds.
Personal life
Growing up near Liverpool, he was educated at Denstone College and subsequently studied mathematics at Christ's College at the University of Cambridge before switching to law. A keen rugby enthusiast he played for Waterloo Rugby Club in his youth and later became club president. He had two daughters and a son, Ben, who was part of the victorious 2003 Rugby World Cup squad. His daughter Amanda was appointed to the High Court in 2017.
References
- "Privy Council Appointments". number10.gov.uk. 19 May 2000. Archived from the original on 2 January 2004.
External links
- "Obituaries: Sir John Kay". The Daily Telegraph. 7 July 2004.
- Morton, James (7 July 2004). "Obituary: Sir John Kay". The Guardian.