John Kay (judge)
Encyclopedia
Sir John William Kay PC (13 September 1943 - 2 July 2004) was a Lord Justice of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales
and member of the Privy Council
from 2000 until his death.
Growing up near Liverpool
, he was educated at Denstone College
and subsequently studied mathematics
at Christ's College
at the University of Cambridge
before switching to law. A keen rugby
enthusiast he played for Waterloo Rugby Club
in his youth and later became club president, he had the satisfaction of seeing his son Ben Kay
in England's world cup winning side of 2003.
After being called to the bar in 1968 following a brief stint as a schoolteacher, he became a Queen's Counsel
in 1984 and was named to the High Court of Justice of England and Wales in 1992.
On the Court of Appeal he upheld the conviction of mass murderer Jeremy Bamber
in 2002, perhaps his most celebrated case. He subsequently overturned the murder conviction of Sally Clark
, accused of killing her two young sons, and dismissed the posthumous appeal in the name of the executed Ruth Ellis
on largely technical grounds.
Court of Appeal of England and Wales
The Court of Appeal of England and Wales is the second most senior court in the English legal system, with only the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom above it...
and member of the Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
from 2000 until his death.
Growing up near Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, he was educated at Denstone College
Denstone College
Denstone College is an independent, coeducational boarding school in Denstone,Staffordshire, England and a member school of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. It is also a Woodard school and as such has a strong Anglo-Catholic tradition. It has continued to show impressive academic...
and subsequently studied mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
at Christ's College
Christ's College, Cambridge
Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.With a reputation for high academic standards, Christ's College averaged top place in the Tompkins Table from 1980-2000 . In 2011, Christ's was placed sixth.-College history:...
at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
before switching to law. A keen rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
enthusiast he played for Waterloo Rugby Club
Waterloo R.F.C.
Waterloo Football Club is an English Rugby Union team based at St Anthonys Road, Blundellsands, Merseyside. It celebrated its 125th season in 2007/08, having been founded in 1882 by brothers Sidney and Harry Hall and George Abercrombie. From 1882 until 1884 the club was known as Serpentine after...
in his youth and later became club president, he had the satisfaction of seeing his son Ben Kay
Ben Kay
Benedict James Kay MBE is a retired English international rugby union footballer who played Second row forward for Leicester Tigers and .-Background:...
in England's world cup winning side of 2003.
After being called to the bar in 1968 following a brief stint as a schoolteacher, he became a Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
in 1984 and was named to the High Court of Justice of England and Wales in 1992.
On the Court of Appeal he upheld the conviction of mass murderer Jeremy Bamber
Jeremy Bamber
Jeremy Nevill Bamber was convicted in England in 1986 of murdering five members of his adoptive family—his father, mother, sister, and her six-year-old twin sons—at his parents' home at White House Farm, Tolleshunt D'Arcy, Essex, in the early hours of 7 August 1985...
in 2002, perhaps his most celebrated case. He subsequently overturned the murder conviction of Sally Clark
Sally Clark
Sally Clark was a British solicitor who became the victim of an infamous miscarriage of justice when she was wrongly convicted of the murder of two of her sons in 1999...
, accused of killing her two young sons, and dismissed the posthumous appeal in the name of the executed Ruth Ellis
Ruth Ellis
Ruth Ellis , née Neilson, was the last woman to be executed in the United Kingdom. She was convicted of the murder of her lover, David Blakely, and hanged at Holloway Prison, London, by Albert Pierrepoint.-Biography:...
on largely technical grounds.