Bruce Hyman
Encyclopedia
Bruce Anthony Hyman is a radio
and TV producer and the only barrister
in 800 years to be sent to prison for attempting to pervert the course of justice
.
.
Hyman had been representing a divorced woman fighting for custody of her four-year-old daughter when he tried to falsely incriminate the girl's father. The father, Simon Eades, was applying for increased access to his child. Hyman had crafted and sent a fraudulent email to the father which appeared to be from a charity campaigning for fathers' rights and whose content appeared to support the father's claim that he should be granted greater access to his daughter. When Eades presented the email in court, Hyman accused him of forgery. Eades' own detective work attempting to clear his name led ultimately to the arrest of Hyman.
CCTV footage from a computer shop proved that Hyman had sent the email and thus had attempted to falsely incriminate Eades. Hyman's client denied any involvement in Hyman's crime. On 19 September 2007 Bruce Hyman was jailed for 12 months at Bristol Crown Court, and ordered to pay £3,000 compensation to his victim. He was released a few days before Christmas 2007 after serving just over two months of his sentence. In November 2008 Hyman was permanently disbarred by the Bar Standards Board
.
At his trial, Hyman produced a character reference from his friend, Sir Mark Potter, who is head of the family division of UK justice. (Hyman had committed his crime in the family court.) A complaint against Sir Mark Potter in this regard is now being investigated by the Office of Judicial Complaints.
Hyman produced three new radio series of Douglas Adams
' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
in 2003 and 2004, with Helen Chattwell and Dirk Maggs
. He also acted as Executive Producer of the BBC Radio 4
programme presented by Clive Anderson
called Unreliable Evidence until 2006. Hyman has written scripts for Johnny Vegas
and Angus Deayton
.
Radio producer
A radio producer oversees the making of a radio show. There are two main types of producer. An audio or creative producer and a content producer. Audio producers create sounds and audio specifically, content producers oversee and orchestrate a radio show or feature...
and TV producer and the only barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
in 800 years to be sent to prison for attempting to pervert the course of justice
Perverting the course of justice
Perverting the course of justice, in English, Canadian , and Irish law, is a criminal offence in which someone prevents justice from being served on himself or on another party...
.
Crime
On Monday 6 August 2007 Hyman was convicted of attempting to pervert the course of justicePerverting the course of justice
Perverting the course of justice, in English, Canadian , and Irish law, is a criminal offence in which someone prevents justice from being served on himself or on another party...
.
Hyman had been representing a divorced woman fighting for custody of her four-year-old daughter when he tried to falsely incriminate the girl's father. The father, Simon Eades, was applying for increased access to his child. Hyman had crafted and sent a fraudulent email to the father which appeared to be from a charity campaigning for fathers' rights and whose content appeared to support the father's claim that he should be granted greater access to his daughter. When Eades presented the email in court, Hyman accused him of forgery. Eades' own detective work attempting to clear his name led ultimately to the arrest of Hyman.
CCTV footage from a computer shop proved that Hyman had sent the email and thus had attempted to falsely incriminate Eades. Hyman's client denied any involvement in Hyman's crime. On 19 September 2007 Bruce Hyman was jailed for 12 months at Bristol Crown Court, and ordered to pay £3,000 compensation to his victim. He was released a few days before Christmas 2007 after serving just over two months of his sentence. In November 2008 Hyman was permanently disbarred by the Bar Standards Board
Bar Standards Board
The Bar Standards Board regulates admission to the Bar for barristers in England and Wales. In addition, it responds to complaints from the public regarding behavior and adequacy of representation by members of the Bar and conducts disciplinary proceedings. The most serious of these are conducted...
.
At his trial, Hyman produced a character reference from his friend, Sir Mark Potter, who is head of the family division of UK justice. (Hyman had committed his crime in the family court.) A complaint against Sir Mark Potter in this regard is now being investigated by the Office of Judicial Complaints.
Work
At Above the Title ProductionsAbove the Title Productions
Above the Title Productions is a UK independent radio and TV production company based in London. The company specializes in the making of drama, music, comedy and feature programmes, principally for BBC Radio. The company's past works include adaptations of Agatha Christie mysteries, radio...
Hyman produced three new radio series of Douglas Adams
Douglas Adams
Douglas Noel Adams was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television...
' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a science fiction comedy series created by Douglas Adams. Originally a radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1978, it was later adapted to other formats, and over several years it gradually became an international multi-media phenomenon...
in 2003 and 2004, with Helen Chattwell and Dirk Maggs
Dirk Maggs
Dirk Maggs, a freelance writer and director working across all media, is principally known for his work in radio, where he evolved radio drama into "Audio Movies," a near-visual approach combining scripts, layered sound effects, cinematic music and cutting edge technology. He pioneered the use of...
. He also acted as Executive Producer of the BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
programme presented by Clive Anderson
Clive Anderson
Clive Anderson is a British former barrister, best known for being a comedy writer as well as a radio and television presenter in the United Kingdom...
called Unreliable Evidence until 2006. Hyman has written scripts for Johnny Vegas
Johnny Vegas
Johnny Vegas is an English actor and comedian. He is known for his angry rants, portly figure, high husky voice and support of St Helens rugby league club. More recently he has moved into dramatic acting.-Early life:He was born in St Helens, Lancashire, the youngest of four children of Laurence...
and Angus Deayton
Angus Deayton
Gordon Angus Deayton is an English actor, writer, musician, comedian and broadcaster. He is best known for his role as Victor Meldrew's long-suffering neighbour Patrick Trench in the comedy series One Foot in the Grave...
.
External links
- City University Law Society: claiming that Hyman wrote speeches for UK Premier Gordon BrownGordon BrownJames Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
- List of Hyman's radio productions
- BBC video re conviction.
- Hyman Broadcasting
- Piece by Hyman about Hitchhiker's Guide for BBC Radio 4