John Leonard (judge)

Sir John Leonard
Justice of the High Court
In office
1981–1993
Common Serjeant of London
In office
1979–1981
Personal details
Born
Hamilton John Leonard

Sir Hamilton John Leonard (28 April 1926 – 10 August 2002) was an English barrister and High Court judge. Described as "one of the great criminal specialists of his generation".[1] He was involved in several prominent criminal cases, but is best known for his sentencing in the Ealing vicarage case, for which he was widely criticised for giving two rapists what were perceived as lenient sentences.[2][3][4]

  1. ^ Quoted in Bottoms, p. 22
  2. ^ James Morton. "Obituary: Sir John Leonard". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  3. ^ "John Leonard". Heraldscotland.com. 15 August 2002. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  4. ^ Bottoms, pp. 19–23