Iain Bonomy, Lord Bonomy
Encyclopedia
The Rt Hon.
Iain Bonomy, Lord Bonomy PC
, (born 15 January 1946) is a Senator of the College of Justice
, a judge of the Supreme Courts
of Scotland
, sitting in the High Court of Justiciary
and the Inner House
of the Court of Session
. From 2004 to 2009, he was a Judge of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
.
, Bonomy attended Dalziel High School
and the School of Law
of the University of Glasgow
, graduating LL.B.
in 1968. In 2006, he was awarded an honorary
LL.D. by the University.
He undertook his apprenticeship as a solicitor at East Kilbride
Town Council between 1968 - 1970, before moving into practice with Ballantyne and Copland in Motherwell, rising to become a partner. In 1983, he left to begin devilling
, and in 1984 was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates
, taking silk
in 1993. From 1990 to 1996, he served as an Advocate Depute, and in 1996 served as Senior Counsel to the Dunblane Inquiry
.
, a judge of the Court of Session and High Court of Justiciary
, Scotland's supreme courts
, taking the judicial title, Lord Bonomy. He sat primarily on civil and criminal cases at first instance, although occasionally sat on appellate business. A tabloid newspaper nicknamed him "Judge Dread" when he jailed a heroin-dealer for ten years for failing within twenty-four hours to name his supplier. In 2001, he led a review for the Scottish Executive
of the Practices and Procedure of the High Court; the report, Improving Practice - the 2002 Review of the Practices and Procedures of the High Court of Justiciary was published in December 2002.
In 2004, he was appointed to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
(ICTY), sitting as a judge on many high profile cases, and presiding over the trial of former Serbian President Milan Milutinović
. In August 2008, he was appointed to preside over preparations for the trial of captured former Bosnian Serb
leader Radovan Karadžić
. He resigned from the ICTY in 2009 for personal reasons, and was succeeded by Howard Morrison
.
He was appointed to the Inner House
of the Court of Session on 16 August 2010 and appointed to the Privy Council
in October 2010.
The Right Honourable
The Right Honourable is an honorific prefix that is traditionally applied to certain people in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Anglophone Caribbean and other Commonwealth Realms, and occasionally elsewhere...
Iain Bonomy, Lord Bonomy PC
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
, (born 15 January 1946) is a Senator of the College of Justice
Senator of the College of Justice
The Senators of the College of Justice are judges of the College of Justice, a set of legal institutions involved in the administration of justice in Scotland. There are three types of Senator: Lords of Session ; Lords Commissioner of Justiciary ; and the Chairman of the Scottish Land Court...
, a judge of the Supreme Courts
College of Justice
The College of Justice is a term used to describe the Supreme Courts of Scotland, and its associated bodies.The constituent bodies of the supreme courts of Scotland are the Court of Session, the High Court of Justiciary, and the Accountant of Court's Office...
of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, sitting in the High Court of Justiciary
High Court of Justiciary
The High Court of Justiciary is the supreme criminal court of Scotland.The High Court is both a court of first instance and a court of appeal. As a court of first instance, the High Court sits mainly in Parliament House, or in the former Sheriff Court building, in Edinburgh, but also sits from time...
and the Inner House
Inner House
The Inner House is the senior part of the Court of Session, the supreme civil court in Scotland; the Outer House forms the junior part of the Court of Session. It is a court of appeal and a court of first instance...
of the Court of Session
Court of Session
The Court of Session is the supreme civil court of Scotland, and constitutes part of the College of Justice. It sits in Parliament House in Edinburgh and is both a court of first instance and a court of appeal....
. From 2004 to 2009, he was a Judge of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
The International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991, more commonly referred to as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia or ICTY, is a...
.
Early life
Born on 15 January 1946 in MotherwellMotherwell
Motherwell is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, south east of Glasgow. The name "Moderwelt" appears on a map of Lanarkshire made by Timothy Pont some time between 1583 and 1611 and printed in the Netherlands in around 1652, although the settlement was probably little more...
, Bonomy attended Dalziel High School
Dalziel High School
Dalziel High School is a non-denominational secondary school that is based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The current rector of the school is Levi toi.1.-Overview:...
and the School of Law
University of Glasgow School of Law
The School of Law at the University of Glasgow provides undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Law, and awards the degrees of Bachelor of Laws , Master of Laws , Master of Science , Master of Research and Doctor of Philosophy , the degree of Doctor of Laws...
of the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
, graduating LL.B.
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
in 1968. In 2006, he was awarded an honorary
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
LL.D. by the University.
He undertook his apprenticeship as a solicitor at East Kilbride
East Kilbride
East Kilbride is a large suburban town in the South Lanarkshire council area, in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland. Designated as Scotland's first new town in 1947, it forms part of the Greater Glasgow conurbation...
Town Council between 1968 - 1970, before moving into practice with Ballantyne and Copland in Motherwell, rising to become a partner. In 1983, he left to begin devilling
Devilling
Devilling is the period of training, pupillage or junior work undertaken by a person wishing to become an advocate in one of the legal systems of the United Kingdom or Ireland.-Scotland:...
, and in 1984 was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates
Faculty of Advocates
The Faculty of Advocates is an independent body of lawyers who have been admitted to practise as advocates before the courts of Scotland, especially the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary...
, taking silk
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 1993. From 1990 to 1996, he served as an Advocate Depute, and in 1996 served as Senior Counsel to the Dunblane Inquiry
Dunblane massacre
The Dunblane massacre was a multiple murder-suicide which occurred at Dunblane Primary School in the Scottish town of Dunblane on 13 March 1996. Sixteen children and one adult were killed by Thomas Hamilton before he committed suicide.-Timeline of events:...
.
Judicial career
In 1997, he was appointed a Senator of the College of JusticeSenator of the College of Justice
The Senators of the College of Justice are judges of the College of Justice, a set of legal institutions involved in the administration of justice in Scotland. There are three types of Senator: Lords of Session ; Lords Commissioner of Justiciary ; and the Chairman of the Scottish Land Court...
, a judge of the Court of Session and High Court of Justiciary
High Court of Justiciary
The High Court of Justiciary is the supreme criminal court of Scotland.The High Court is both a court of first instance and a court of appeal. As a court of first instance, the High Court sits mainly in Parliament House, or in the former Sheriff Court building, in Edinburgh, but also sits from time...
, Scotland's supreme courts
College of Justice
The College of Justice is a term used to describe the Supreme Courts of Scotland, and its associated bodies.The constituent bodies of the supreme courts of Scotland are the Court of Session, the High Court of Justiciary, and the Accountant of Court's Office...
, taking the judicial title, Lord Bonomy. He sat primarily on civil and criminal cases at first instance, although occasionally sat on appellate business. A tabloid newspaper nicknamed him "Judge Dread" when he jailed a heroin-dealer for ten years for failing within twenty-four hours to name his supplier. In 2001, he led a review for the Scottish Executive
Scottish Executive
The Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...
of the Practices and Procedure of the High Court; the report, Improving Practice - the 2002 Review of the Practices and Procedures of the High Court of Justiciary was published in December 2002.
In 2004, he was appointed to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
The International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991, more commonly referred to as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia or ICTY, is a...
(ICTY), sitting as a judge on many high profile cases, and presiding over the trial of former Serbian President Milan Milutinović
Milan Milutinovic
Milan Milutinović is a former President of Serbia. He served as Director of the National Library of Serbia , Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to Greece, Yugoslavia's Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs , and as President of Serbia from 1997 until 2002.After his presidential term...
. In August 2008, he was appointed to preside over preparations for the trial of captured former Bosnian Serb
Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina are people of Serb ethnicity inhabiting the Balkan regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, or, since the establishment of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a state in the 1990s, the Serbs who have its citizenship. The Serbs are one of the three constitutive nations of this...
leader Radovan Karadžić
Radovan Karadžic
Radovan Karadžić is a former Bosnian Serb politician. He is detained in the United Nations Detention Unit of Scheveningen, accused of war crimes committed against Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats during the Siege of Sarajevo, as well as ordering the Srebrenica massacre.Educated as a...
. He resigned from the ICTY in 2009 for personal reasons, and was succeeded by Howard Morrison
Howard Morrison (lawyer)
Howard Andrew Clive Morrison CBE is a British lawyer and, since August 2009, a Judge of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia based in The Hague, Netherlands.-Legal career:...
.
He was appointed to the Inner House
Inner House
The Inner House is the senior part of the Court of Session, the supreme civil court in Scotland; the Outer House forms the junior part of the Court of Session. It is a court of appeal and a court of first instance...
of the Court of Session on 16 August 2010 and appointed to the Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
in October 2010.