Peter Barrington Kidd SC (born 4 October 1965) is an Australian jurist. He has served as Chief Judge of the

County Court of Victoria The County Court of Victoria is the intermediate court in the Australian state of Victoria. It is equivalent to district courts in the other states. The County Court is the principal trial court in the state, having a broad criminal and ci ...

since 8 September 2015, and as a Justice of the

Supreme Court of Victoria The Supreme Court of Victoria is the highest court in the Australian state of Victoria. Founded in 1852, it is a superior court of common law and equity, with unlimited and inherent jurisdiction within the state. The Supreme Court compri ...

since 24 May 2016. As chief judge of the County Court, Kidd chairs the County Court's Board of Management and is a member of the Courts Council, the governing body of Court Services Victoria. He also sits on the boards of the Judicial College of Victoria. and the Judicial Commission of Victoria. In 2018–2019, he presided over the trial of Cardinal

George Pell George Pell (8 June 1941 – 10 January 2023) was an Australian cardinal of the Catholic Church. From 2002, he faced recurring accusations of sexual abuse, although his subsequent sexual abuse conviction was quashed on appeal to the High Cour ...

whom he sentenced to six years in jail. In April 2020 the High Court of Australia quashed that verdict because there was "a significant possibility that an innocent person has been convicted because the evidence did not establish guilt to the requisite standard of proof". Kidd holds a Masters of Laws from the

University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public university, public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by French theologian John Calvin as a Theology, theological seminary. It rema ...

, where he specialised in international humanitarian and criminal law, and a Bachelor of Laws from the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. Its main campus in the Adelaide city centre includes many Sa ...

. Kidd was admitted to practice in 1990, and signed the Victoria Bar Roll in 1995. Between 2005 and 2008, Kidd worked as an International Prosecutor at the War Crimes Chamber of the State Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which investigated and tried war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed during the Bosnian conflict in the 1990s. Kidd joined Victoria's Crown Prosecutors' Chambers in January 2009 after returning to Australia, and in November 2011 he was appointed Senior Counsel. In July 2013 he was appointed a Senior Crown Prosecutor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kidd, Peter 1965 births Living people Judges from Melbourne Judges of the Supreme Court of Victoria Adelaide Law School alumni University of Geneva alumni People educated at Prince Alfred College Australian barristers Judges of the County Court of Victoria Australian expatriates in Switzerland Australian Senior Counsel