John Leonard

Sir Hamilton John Leonard (28 April 1926 – 10 August 2002) was an English barrister and High Court judge. Described as "one of the great criminal specialists of his generation". He was involved in several prominent criminal cases, but is best known for his sentencing in the Ealing vicarage case, for which he was widely criticised for giving two rapists what were perceived as lenient sentences.

Early life and education Leonard was born in 1926 in either Poole, Dorset, His father owned a confectionery factory. he also draws attention to the fact that much of the evidence later available about her long-term medical and psychological problems was not presented in court. James Morton, writing in The Guardian, considered that the "repeated and humiliating criticism ... hurt [Leonard] deeply." In Leonard's speech on his retirement, he apologised to Saward and referred to his conduct in the case as a "blemish – I make no bones about it".

As a High Court judge, Leonard also presided over the initial trial of Kiranjit Ahluwalia for the murder of her husband, a conviction later overturned. He was also one of the judges in the Court of Appeal in the unsuccessful appeal by the M25 Three; their convictions were later overturned. Outside court as a barrister he chaired the Criminal Bar Association, advised the Home Secretary on restricted patients (1973–79), and served on the Judicial Studies Board, as well as on a committee that reviewed the obscenity and censorship laws.

Personal life He met his wife Doreen (Dinkie) Parker in Germany during the war; she was in the Auxiliary Territorial Service. They married in 1948, and the couple had a son and a daughter. They lived at Merstham in Surrey. He retired in November 1993, after experiencing problems with his eyesight. His wife died in 1996, after an accident in Cyprus. Leonard died in 2002.