Courtenay Griffiths
Encyclopedia
Courtenay Griffiths QC
is a Jamaica
n-born British
barrister
, notable for his defence within a number of high-profile cases, and a member of London-based Garden Court Chambers.
, the second youngest child of a carpenter
father, Griffiths moved to England
with his family in 1961 and was raised in Coventry
. Educated at Bablake School
, he graduated in 1978 with an LLB (Hons) from the London School of Economics
.
QC, the first Prime Minister of Jamaica, after a period of pupillage
he was called to the bar in 1980.
Griffiths then became Legal Assistant to the Greater London Council
's Police Support Committee, and then spent 12 months as a Revson Fellow at City College, New York. On return to the UK he practised mainly in West Yorkshire
, in the Leeds and Bradford courts. He was made Queen's Counsel
in 1998.
Today he practises predominantly in criminal defence, most often defending in murder cases, spending a large amount of his time at the Old Bailey
. He also sits part time in the Crown Court as a Recorder
, chairs the Public Affairs Committee of the Bar Council, and worked for several years as chair of its Race Relations Committee.
Griffiths holds honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from both Coventry University
and Leeds Metropolitan University
. In 2008, he gave the annual Norman Manley Lecture at the Norman Manley Law School, University of the West Indies
, which aims to highlight issues of national and international public concern.
Griffiths collects a wide renge of music, and supports Liverpool F.C.
and the West Indies Cricket Team. He is a Trustee of the Bernie Grant
Trust.
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...
is a Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n-born British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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...
, notable for his defence within a number of high-profile cases, and a member of London-based Garden Court Chambers.
Early life
Born in Kingston, JamaicaKingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
, the second youngest child of a carpenter
Carpenter
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
father, Griffiths moved to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
with his family in 1961 and was raised in Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
. Educated at Bablake School
Bablake School
Bablake School is a co-educational Independent school located in Coventry, England and founded in 1344 by Queen Isabella, making it one of the oldest schools in the United Kingdom...
, he graduated in 1978 with an LLB (Hons) from the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
.
Career
Wanting to be a lawyer after his father told him various stories about Norman ManleyNorman Manley
Norman Washington Manley MM QC National Hero of Jamaica , was a Jamaican statesman. A Rhodes Scholar, Manley became one of Jamaica's leading lawyers in the 1920s...
QC, the first Prime Minister of Jamaica, after a period of pupillage
Pupillage
A pupillage, in England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland, is the barrister's equivalent of the training contract that a solicitor undertakes...
he was called to the bar in 1980.
Griffiths then became Legal Assistant to the Greater London Council
Greater London Council
The Greater London Council was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council which had covered a much smaller area...
's Police Support Committee, and then spent 12 months as a Revson Fellow at City College, New York. On return to the UK he practised mainly in West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, in the Leeds and Bradford courts. He was made Queen's Counsel
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 1998.
Today he practises predominantly in criminal defence, most often defending in murder cases, spending a large amount of his time at the Old Bailey
Old Bailey
The Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court...
. He also sits part time in the Crown Court as a Recorder
Recorder (judge)
A Recorder is a judicial officer in England and Wales. It now refers to two quite different appointments. The ancient Recorderships of England and Wales now form part of a system of Honorary Recorderships which are filled by the most senior full-time circuit judges...
, chairs the Public Affairs Committee of the Bar Council, and worked for several years as chair of its Race Relations Committee.
Griffiths holds honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from both Coventry University
Coventry University
Coventry University is a post-1992 university in Coventry, West Midlands, England. Under the terms of the Further and Higher Education Act of 1992, the institution's name was changed from Coventry Polytechnic to Coventry University...
and Leeds Metropolitan University
Leeds Metropolitan University
Leeds Metropolitan University is a British University with three campuses. Two are situated in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England while the third is situated in Bhopal, India...
. In 2008, he gave the annual Norman Manley Lecture at the Norman Manley Law School, University of the West Indies
University of the West Indies
The University of the West Indies , is an autonomous regional institution supported by and serving 17 English-speaking countries and territories in the Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Dominica,...
, which aims to highlight issues of national and international public concern.
Notable cases
- Brighton hotel bombingBrighton hotel bombingThe Brighton hotel bombing happened on 12 October 1984 at the Grand Hotel in Brighton, England. The bomb was planted by Provisional Irish Republican Army member Patrick Magee, with the intention of assassinating Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet who were staying at the hotel for the...
- Harrods bombingHarrods bombingThe Harrods bombing was a car bombing that occurred at Harrods department store in London on 17 December 1983. The bomb had been planted by members of the Provisional IRA, although the IRA Army Council claimed that it had not authorised the attack. The IRA members had sent a warning 37 minutes...
- 1996 Docklands bombing1996 Docklands bombingThe Docklands bombing occurred on 9 February 1996. It was conducted by the Provisional Irish Republican Army and brought an end to their seventeen-month ceasefire...
- Risley Prison riot
- Dartmoor Prison riot
- R v SilcottWinston SilcottWinston Silcott is a British man of Afro-Caribbean descent, who, as one of the "Tottenham Three", was convicted in March 1987 for the murder of PC Keith Blakelock on the night of 6 October 1985 during the Broadwater Farm riot in north London...
& others - the Keith BlakelockKeith BlakelockThe death of PC Keith Blakelock, an officer with the London Metropolitan Police, occurred on 6 October 1985 during rioting on the Broadwater Farm housing estate in Tottenham, north London...
murder trial which arose out of the Broadwater Farm Estate riot - Successful appeal for Johnson, Davis and Rowe, 2000
- Damilola Taylor murder, first trial, 2002
- Goswell v Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis - for a while, this case recorded the highest award of damages made by a jury against a police force
- Charles Taylor trial in The HagueThe HagueThe Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, 2007–present
Personal life
Married with two boys. Griffiths also has two children who he maintains a relationship with from before he was married.Griffiths collects a wide renge of music, and supports Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
and the West Indies Cricket Team. He is a Trustee of the Bernie Grant
Bernie Grant
Bernard Alexander Montgomery Grant , known simply as Bernie Grant, was a politician in the United Kingdom, and was Labour member of Parliament for Tottenham at the time of his death....
Trust.
External links
- Bio at Garden Court Chambers
- Interview with Courtenay Griffiths after walking out of Sierra Leone war crimes court - broadcast by Radio France InternationaleRadio France InternationaleRadio France Internationale was created in 1975 as part of Radio France by the Government of France, and replaced the Poste Colonial , Paris Mondial , Radio Paris , RTF Radio Paris and ORTF Radio Paris...
, February 8, 2011