Patrick O'Connor (judge)

Lord Justice of Appeal
Lord Justice of Appeal
	In office; 1980–1989
Justice of the High Court
	In office; 1966–1980
Personal details
Born	Patrick McCarthy O'Connor; 28 December 1914; British India
Died	3 May 2001 (aged 86)
Children	4
Education	Downside School ; Merton College, Oxford

Sir Patrick McCarthy O'Connor,

Lord Justice of Appeal between 1980 and 1989. He is best remembered as one of the three judges who rejected the second appeal by the Birmingham Six

in 1988.

Biography

Born in India, O'Connor was the son of William Patrick O’Connor, a doctor. His Scottish mother died when he was nine, while his father died when he was 11. He was sent back to England and was educated at

Diplomatic Service or the Royal Navy

, but was turned down by both on medical grounds.

Having started his career specializing in personal injury claims and claims under the Workmen's Compensation Acts, after the war O'Connor acquired a large practice in employer negligence litigation. He was appointed junior counsel to the

Queen's Counsel in 1960. O'Connor was Recorder of King's Lynn

from 1959 to 1961 and of Southend from 1961 to 1966.

In 1966, O'Connor was appointed a

Queen's Bench Division, receiving the customary knighthood. In 1967, he sentenced the gangster Charles Richardson

to 12 years' imprisonment for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. He also presided over a string of high-profile libel cases.

In 1980, Richardson was appointed a Lord Justice of Appeal and sworn of the

Privy Council. His 1988 dissent in Caparo Industries plc v Dickman was later adopted by the House of Lords. In 1989, he was one of the three judges (sitting with Lord Lane and Lord Justice Stephen Brown

) who rejected an appeal by the Birmingham Six, whose convictions were quashed in 1991. He retired in 1989.

A devout Catholic, O'Connor was involved with Catholic charities such as the (British) Thomas More Society and Downside School.

Family

O'Connor married in 1938 Mary Garland Griffin, whom he had met at Oxford. She was the daughter of William Martin Griffin, KC, of Vancouver. They had two sons and two daughters. Lady O'Connor died in 1984.

References

The Daily Telegraph, 5 May 2001
The Times, 7 May 2001
The Guardian, 7 May 2001
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