Sir Brian Henry Leveson
( ; born 22 June 1949) is an English retired senior judge who is the current
Investigatory Powers Commissioner, having previously served as the
President of the Queen's Bench Division and Head of Criminal Justice.
Leveson chaired the
public inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the British
press, prompted by the ''
News of the World
The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national "Tabloid journalism#Red tops, red top" Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling ...
''
phone hacking affair.
Early life
Leveson was born in
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
, on 22 June 1949.
He was educated at
Liverpool College
Liverpool College is a coeducational day and boarding school in Mossley Hill, Liverpool, England. It was one of the thirteen founding members of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, Headmasters' Conference.
History
Liverpool Coll ...
, a then
public school in
Mossley Hill, Liverpool. He studied at
Merton College, Oxford
Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 126 ...
and was President of the
Oxford Law Society.
Legal career
Leveson was
called to the Bar
The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...
at
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...
in 1970. He initially practised in Liverpool and became
Queen's Counsel
A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...
in 1986.
[Lord Justice Leveson appointed as Chairman of the Sentencing Council](_blank)
Sentencing Council, 16 March 2010 Leveson became a
bencher
A bencher or Master of the Bench is a senior member of an Inn of Court in England and Wales or the Inns of Court in Northern Ireland, or the Honorable Society of King's Inns in Ireland. Benchers hold office for life once elected. A bencher c ...
in 1995,
acted as a
Recorder between 1988 and 2000, and as a Deputy High Court Judge between 1998 and 2000.
In 2000, Leveson was appointed as a Judge of the High Court, Queen's Bench Division, and served as a Presiding Judge of the
Northern Circuit
The Northern Circuit is a circuit of the General Council of the Bar and English judiciary.
The Northern Circuit stretches from Carlisle in Cumberland at its northernmost point, running through Lakeland to the port of Whitehaven in the West, ...
between 2002 and 2005.
In 2006, Leveson was appointed to the new position of Deputy Senior Presiding Judge
and, on 2 October 2006, he was appointed a
Lord Justice of Appeal
A Lord Justice of Appeal or Lady Justice of Appeal is a judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, the court that hears appeals from the High Court of Justice, the Crown Court and other courts and tribunals. A Lord (or Lady) Just ...
. He was promoted to
Senior Presiding Judge with effect from 1 January 2007.
On 1 October 2013, Leveson was appointed
President of the Queen's Bench Division, succeeding
Sir John Thomas.
He was Treasurer of Middle Temple for the year 2020.
Notable cases
R vs West (Rosemary Pauline)
Leveson was the lead prosecution counsel during the trial of
Rosemary West (Regina vs West), who went on to be convicted for the murders of ten young women, including her own eldest daughter, in November 1995. West was sentenced to Life in Prison with a whole life order imposed.
Lord Justice of Appeal
In November 2007, the Criminal Division of the Court of Appeal, constituted by the
Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
The Lord or Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales is the head of the judiciary of England and Wales and the president of the courts of England and Wales.
Until 2005 the lord chief justice was the second-most senior judge of the English and ...
,
Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, Leveson and
Mr Justice Simon, quashed the conviction of
Barry George and ordered a retrial in relation to the murder in 2001 of BBC presenter
Jill Dando.
He was one of three judges who heard an appeal in 2013 by several men who had admitted terrorist offences. One of them,
Usman Khan, whose sentence was as a result changed from an "indeterminate sentence" to a "determinate term" of 16 years imprisonment, later committed the
2019 London Bridge stabbing
On 29 November 2019, five people were stabbed, two of them fatally, in Central London. The attacker, Usman Khan (terrorist), Usman Khan, had been released from prison in 2018 on Parole#United Kingdom, licence after serving a sentence for Terror ...
.
Prosecution of comedian Ken Dodd for Tax Evasion
In 1989 Leveson was the lead prosecution counsel at the trial of comedian
Ken Dodd
Sir Kenneth Arthur Dodd (8 November 1927 – 11 March 2018) was an English stand-up comedy, comedian, actor and singer. He was described as "the last great music hall entertainer" and was primarily known for his live stand-up comedy, stand-up pe ...
. Dodd was charged with tax evasion, but was subsequently acquitted at
Liverpool Crown Court, despite seemingly strong evidence.
Other notable cases
While sitting with
Lord Justice Mantell In the Court of Appeal in 2002 under the
Lord Chief Justice
The Lord or Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales is the head of the judiciary of England and Wales and the president of the courts of England and Wales.
Until 2005 the lord chief justice was the second-most senior judge of the English a ...
,
Lord Woolf, he upheld the murder conviction of
James Hanratty. He also presided over the trial of ex-US Marine
Toby Studebaker for charges relating to
child grooming over the internet. He sentenced 100-year-old Bernard Heginbotham, who was found guilty of manslaughter of his wife of 67 years, 87-year-old Ida, to a 12-month rehabilitation order. He also presided over the trial of two men who were found guilty in 2005 of
murdering Anthony Walker with an axe.
He was one of the judges in the appeal of Ruth Ellis in 2003 who said that the appeal was without merit.
Press ethics inquiry and ''News International'' phone hacking scandal
It was announced on 13 July 2011 that Leveson would lead the
public inquiry into issues of British press culture, practices and ethics raised by the
News International phone hacking scandal
Beginning in the 1990s, and going as far until its shutdown in 2011, employees of the now-defunct newspaper ''News of the World'' engaged in phone hacking, police bribery, and exercising improper influence in the pursuit of stories.
Investi ...
.
On 20 July, Prime Minister David Cameron announced that the scope of the inquiry had widened to include the BBC and social media.
The hearings began on Monday 14 November 2011. The full report was published on 29 November 2012 and is available online.
Later career
In 2013 Leveson was appointed as
Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University, taking over from
Brian May
Sir Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, animal welfare activist and astrophysics, astrophysicist. He achieved global fame as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the rock band Queen ...
, who stepped down at the end of his term.
In 2019, Leveson was appointed as the
Investigatory Powers Commissioner, and re-appointed for a further three-year term in October 2022.
Personal life
Leveson and his wife Lynne (daughter of Aubrey Fishel, also from Liverpool) are
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
.
The couple have three children.
Honours
In 1986, Leveson
took silk and was appointed
Queens Counsel granting him the Suffix of 'QC', upon appointment as a Judge the suffix was no longer used.
Leveson was appointed a
Knight Bachelor
The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised Order of chivalry, orders of chivalry; it is a part of the Orders, decorations, and medals ...
in 2001, by
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
granting him the title of 'Sir'.
In 2006 Leveson was sworn as a
Privy Counsellor
The Privy Council, formally His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its members, known as privy counsellors, are mainly senior politicians who are current or former ...
which grants him the Style 'The Right Honourable' for life.
References
External links
The Rt Hon. Lord Justice LevesonDebretts.co.uk
Sentencing Council
Lord Justice Leveson – SpeechesJudiciary of England and Wales
*
Brian LevesonBrian Leveson, collected news and commentary, ''The Independent''
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leveson, Brian
1949 births
Living people
People educated at Liverpool College
Lawyers from Liverpool
Alumni of Merton College, Oxford
English Jews
20th-century English judges
English King's Counsel
20th-century King's Counsel
21st-century King's Counsel
Knights Bachelor
Lord justices of appeal
Members of the Middle Temple
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
People associated with Liverpool John Moores University
People associated with the News International phone hacking scandal
Presidents of the Queen's Bench Division
Fellows of Merton College, Oxford
21st-century English judges