The Right Honourable Sir
Gary Hickinbottom
Lord Justice of Appeal
In office
3 May 2017 – 7 January 2021
MonarchElizabeth II
Succeeded bySir Colin Birss
Personal details
Born
Gary Robert Hickinbottom

(1955-12-22) 22 December 1955
NationalityBritish
OccupationSolicitor, High Court judge, Lord Justice of Appeal

Sir Gary Robert Hickinbottom PC (born 22 December 1955) is a retired British judge who currently serves as Knight Principal of the Imperial Society of Knights Bachelor. In 2008, he became the fourth solicitor to be appointed a High Court judge, after Michael Sachs in 1993, Lawrence Collins in 2000, and Henry Hodge in 2004.

He was admitted as a solicitor in 1981, and later became a partner at McKenna & Co (now part of CMS Cameron McKenna). He became a recorder in 1994 and then a circuit judge in 2001. He became Chief Social Security Commissioner and Child Support Commissioner in 2003, and Chief Pension Appeal Commissioner.[1] He has also sat as a deputy High Court judge.[2]

Judicial career

Hickinbottom's appointment as a High Court judge was announced in September 2008, with his assignment to the King's Bench Division.[1] He was knighted by the Queen at Buckingham Palace on 20 February 2009. In 2017 he was appointed a Lord Justice of Appeal and therefore, as is customary, was also made a member of the Privy Council,[3][4] entitling him to the honorific "The Right Honourable". He represented the Imperial Society of Knights Bachelor at the 2023 Coronation.[5]

Notable cases

On 16 July 2007, sitting as a deputy High Court Judge, he upheld an application for judicial review against the decision to slaughter Shambo, a sacred black Friesian bull at the Hindu Skanda Vale Temple near Llanpumsaint in Wales which tested positive for bovine tuberculosis, holding that the Welsh government had failed to carry out the balancing exercise required by Article 9 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (freedom of religion).[2] His ruling was overturned by the Court of Appeal one week later,[6] and the bull was slaughtered within days.

In July 2018, sitting as a Lord Justice in the Divisional Court, he upheld the conviction of Mike Buchanan, leader of the political party Justice for Men and Boys for obstructing the highway. Buchanan was arrested in June 2016 during a protest against male circumcision and convicted in October 2016. Rejecting Buchanan's appeal he said, "Buchanan had been perfectly legitimately protesting on the pavement. But he had then walked alone into the road and stood in front of cars as they tried to pass at the end of the working day. Standing there clearly put him at risk of serious injury - and he understood that risk, and was determined to take it - but it also put others at risk of injury or risked damage to property." The court also added a further £2,424 to his court bill of £3,603, bringing the total bill to £6,027.[7]

In May 2022, he led an inquiry into the corruption of Andrew Fahie in the British Virgin Islands.[8][9]

References

  1. 1 2 "Judicial Appointments". nds.coi.gov.uk. Ministry of Justice. 19 September 2008. Archived from the original on 18 December 2008.
  2. 1 2 "England and Wales High Court (Administrative Court) Decisions: Between "The Queen on the application of Swami Suryananda as a representative of the community of the many names of God" (Claimant) and "The Welsh Ministers" (Defendants)". bailii.org. British and Irish Legal Information Institute (BAILII). 16 July 2007.
  3. ↑ Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street (21 April 2017). "Privy Council appointment: Sir Gary Hickinbottom". gov.uk. GOV.UK.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ↑ Tilbrook, Richard (3 May 2017). List of business: Sir Gary Hickinbottom sworn in (PDF). Privy Council Office.
  5. ↑ "Coronation order of service in full". BBC News. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  6. ↑ "England and Wales High Court (Administrative Court) Decisions: Between "Suryananda" (Claimant) and "The Welsh Ministers" (Defendants)". bailii.org. British and Irish Legal Information Institute (BAILII). 23 July 2007.
  7. ↑ Herbert, Tom (13 July 2018). "Ex-Tory Party consultant fined £6,000 for protesting against male circumcision". Metro. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  8. ↑ "'Head coach wants to play': the US drug sting that led to BVI premier's arrest". the Guardian. 29 April 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  9. ↑ "British Virgin Islands: UK decides against direct rule of territory". BBC News. 8 June 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2022.

Further reading

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