Sir Graham Russell Swanwick, MBE (24 August 1906 – 23 June 2003) was a British barrister and High Court judge. He is best remembered for leading the prosecution against

James Hanratty James Hanratty (4 October 1936 – 4 April 1962), also known as the A6 Murderer, was a British criminal who was one of the final eight people in the UK to be executed before capital punishment was abolished. He was hanged at HM Prison Bedford ...

, the 'A6 murderer', one of the last men to be hanged in England.

Biography

Early life and legal career

Swanwick was the son of Eric Drayton Swanwick, a solicitor, and Margery Eleanor (''née'' Norton), of Whittington House, Chesterfield. Educated at

Winchester College Winchester College is an English Public school (United Kingdom), public school (a long-established fee-charging boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) with some provision for day school, day attendees, in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It wa ...

and

University College, Oxford University College, formally The Master and Fellows of the College of the Great Hall of the University commonly called University College in the University of Oxford and colloquially referred to as "Univ", is a Colleges of the University of Oxf ...

, he 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 ...

by the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

in 1930 and joined the old Midland Circuit. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Swanwick served in the

Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) was established in 1936 to support the preparedness of the U.K. Royal Air Force (RAF) in the event of another war. The Air Ministry intended it to form a supplement to the Royal Auxiliary Air Force ( ...

from 1940 to 1945, serving first at

RAF Uxbridge RAF Uxbridge was a Royal Air Force (RAF) station in Uxbridge, within the London Borough of Hillingdon, occupying a site that originally belonged to the Hillingdon House estate. The British Government purchased the estate in 1915, three years b ...

with the

2nd Tactical Air Force The Second Tactical Air Force (2TAF) was one of three tactical air forces within the Royal Air Force (RAF) during and after the Second World War. It was made up of squadrons and personnel from the RAF, other British Commonwealth air forces, an ...

, then in Brussels and in Germany. Rising to the rank of

Wing Commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr or W/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Wing commander is immediately se ...

, he was

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

and appointed a MBE (Military Division) in 1944. Returning to the Bar after the war, Swanwick moved from common law to criminal and civil work. He practised from 1 King's Bench Walk (later 36 Bedford Row), of which he became the head. Swanwick was appointed a

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 1956, and elected a Bencher of the Inner Temple in 1962. He was also elected Leader of the Midland Circuit in 1961, serving until 1965. He was

Recorder Recorder or The Recorder may refer to: Newspapers * ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper * ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US * ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a newsp ...

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln (na ...

from 1957 to 1959 and of

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

from 1959 until 1966, when he was appointed to the High Court. He was also a Judge of Appeal of the Channel Islands from 1964 to 1966, Chairman of the Derbyshire

Quarter Sessions The courts of quarter sessions or quarter sessions were local courts that were traditionally held at four set times each year in the Kingdom of England from 1388; they were extended to Wales following the Laws in Wales Act 1535. Scotland establ ...

from 1963 to 1966, and Deputy Chairman from 1966 until their abolition 1971. In 1962, he led the prosecution against

, nicknamed the 'A6 murderer'. The trial ran for 21 days, the longest criminal trial in English legal history up to that time. Hanratty was convicted of murder and hanged. Swanwick remained convinced of Hanratty's guilt when doubt arose as to whether he was guilty. In 2002, the

Court of Appeal An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to Hearing (law), hear a Legal case, case upon appeal from a trial court or other ...

ruled that his guilt was beyond doubt due to DNA evidence. Among his other notable cases, in 1964 Swanwick defended John Denby Wheater, a solicitor involved in the Great Train Robbery. In 1965, he appeared for barrister Michael Worsley against his former client, the wrestler Norbert Rondel: the case reaffirmed the principle that barristers were immune from an action for negligence from a client.

Judicial career

Swanwick was appointed to the

High Court of Justice The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal (England and Wales), Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Courts of England and Wales, Senior Cour ...

in 1966, and received the customary

knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

. He was assigned to the

Queen's Bench Division The King's Bench Division (or Queen's Bench Division when the monarch is female) of the High Court of Justice deals with a wide range of common law cases and has supervisory responsibility over certain lower courts. It hears appeals on point ...

; from 1975 to 1978, he was Presiding Judge of the Midland and Oxford Circuit. He retired in 1980. In 1976, he tried 14 prison officers charged with assaulting the

Birmingham Six The Birmingham Six were six men from Northern Ireland who were each sentenced to life imprisonment in 1975 following their false convictions for the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings. Their convictions were declared unsafe and unsatisfactory and q ...

in prison; they were acquitted by the jury. In 1977, he tried the so-called "Epping Torso murder case", in which London criminals Reginald Dudley and Robert Maynard were convicted of the murders of Billy Moseley and Micky Cornwall. Dudley and Maynard's convictions were quashed in 2002.

Family

Swanwick married Helen Barbara Reid in 1933; they had two sons before divorcing in 1945. In 1952, he married Mrs Audrey Celia Parkinson, daughter of H. C. Hextall, of Ford, Ashurst, Steyning, Sussex; she died in 1987.Debrett's People of Today, Debrett's Peerage Ltd, 2003, p. 1916

References

*
Sir Graham Swanwick
, ''The Daily Telegraph'', 26 June 2003 *James Morton,
Sir Graham Swanwick
, ''The Guardian'', 3 July 2003
Sir Graham Swanwick
, ''The Times'', 4 July 2003 {{DEFAULTSORT:Swanwick, Graham 1906 births 2003 deaths People from Derbyshire People educated at Winchester College Alumni of University College, Oxford Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II Members of the Order of the British Empire English barristers English King's Counsel 20th-century King's Counsel Members of the Inner Temple Queen's Bench Division judges Knights Bachelor