Timothy King
Encyclopedia
Sir Timothy Roger Alan King (born 5 April 1949), styled The Hon. Mr Justice King, is a judge of the High Court of England and Wales
assigned to the Queen's Bench Division.
, where he achieved the degrees of Master of Arts (postgraduate)MA and BCL
. He was called to the Bar in 1973 by Lincoln's Inn
and practised on the Northern Circuit
, taking silk
in 1991.
High Court of Justice
The High Court of Justice is, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, one of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
assigned to the Queen's Bench Division.
Career as counsel
King was educated at the Liverpool Institute and Lincoln College, OxfordLincoln College, Oxford
Lincoln College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is situated on Turl Street in central Oxford, backing onto Brasenose College and adjacent to Exeter College...
, where he achieved the degrees of Master of Arts (postgraduate)MA and BCL
Bachelor of Civil Law
Bachelor of Civil Law is the name of various degrees in law conferred by English-language universities. Historically, it originated as a postgraduate degree in the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, but many universities now offer the BCL as an undergraduate degree...
. He was called to the Bar in 1973 by Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
and practised on the Northern Circuit
Northern Circuit
The Northern Circuit dates from 1176 when Henry II sent his judges on circuit to do justice in his name. The Circuit encompassed the whole of the North of England but in 1876 it was divided. That part to the west of the Pennines retained the old name. The land to the east became the territory of...
, taking silk
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 1991.
Notable cases as counsel
- 2001: R v Liverpool City Council, ex parte Karl Barry (Court of Appeal) on the limitations of local authority to licence "doormen".
- 2004: R ex app. PD v West Midlands and North West Mental Health Review Tribunal (Court of Appeal) - on apparent or perceived bias of members of mental health tribunals.
- 2006: King defended BNPBritish National PartyThe British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
leaders Nick GriffinNick GriffinNicholas John "Nick" Griffin is a British politician, chairman of the British National Party and Member of the European Parliament for North West England....
and Mark CollettMark CollettMark Adrian Collett is a British political activist. He is a former chairman of the Young BNP, the youth division of the British National Party , and was Director of Publicity for the Party before being suspended from the party in early April 2010...
at Leeds Crown CourtLeeds Crown CourtLeeds Crown Court is the highest court in West Yorkshire, England. The buildings are situated in Westgate in Leeds city centre, adjacent to Leeds magistrates courts.-Notable cases:...
on charges of inciting racial hatred. His defence was based upon political freedom of speechFreedom of speechFreedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
; the defendants were acquitted of some charges, and convicted of others, ultimately being acquitted on a retrial. - 2006: Jones v Whalley (House of Lords): King argued about the effects of a police caution on subsequent proceedings.