Joseph Cantley

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Cantley in 1965, by Walter Bird

Sir Joseph Donaldson Cantley,

OBE (8 August 1910 – 6 January 1993) was an English barrister and later a High Court judge. He is most notable for presiding over the trial of Jeremy Thorpe
in 1979.

Early life

Cantley was born in Manchester, where his father was a

Manchester University. He was called to the bar at Middle Temple in 1933, and came top in his bar finals
examination, gaining first-class honours and the Certificate of Honour.

Legal career

He became a barrister in Manchester, with a pupillage under Denis Gerrard and then practising on the Northern Circuit.

Cantley served in the

Second World War, first in the Royal Artillery and then on staff appointments, spending time in North Africa and Italy. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1945, and was demobilised as a lieutenant colonel
.

He returned to the bar after the war. He had a mixed practice, specialising in

Queen's Counsel in 1954, and a Bencher
at Middle Temple in 1963. He served as Treasurer at Middle Temple in 1981.

One of his last trials was leading for the prosecution when Gwynne Evans and Peter Allen were convicted for the murder of John Alan West in 1964, which led to the last two judicial executions in Britain before the abolition of the death penalty in 1965.

Judicial career

Cantley became Judge of the Court of Record in the

Queen's Bench Division, and received the customary knighthood
.

He was Presiding Judge on the Northern Circuit from 1970 to 1974. He had a low public profile until he presided at the trial of Jeremy Thorpe in May–June 1979, shortly after the 1979 UK general election on 3 May 1979 - so much so that no press agency could find a photograph of him. Thorpe was acquitted, and Cantley's summing up roundly condemned the prosecution witnesses and praised the defendants, while claiming not to express an opinion.

At the 1979

South Eastern Circuit
, but declined in order to become Treasurer of Middle Temple in 1981.

Personal life and death

Cantley married Hilda Goodwin Gerrard (née Jones) in 1966, widow of his former pupil-master, Albert Denis Gerrard. He retired from the bench in 1985. In later life, he lived with his wife in the Temple and attended the Temple Church.

Cantley died in London on 6 January 1993 following several years of ill health, aged 82.[4] His wife Hilda died on 11 September 1995, aged 95.

References

  1. ^ "In His Own Time: The Trials Of Jeremy Thorpe - A Sketch Of The Past". 6 December 2014. Archived from the original on 7 July 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  2. ^ Freeman and Penrose, p. 365
  3. ^ "Peter Cook". Phespirit.info. Archived from the original on 13 January 2010. Retrieved 25 July 2009.
  4. Independent.co.uk
    . 9 January 1993.
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