James Hunt (judge)

For other people named James Hunt, see James Hunt (disambiguation).

Sir Patrick James Hunt (26 January 1943 – 8 November 2006) was an English barrister and High Court judge.

Hunt was born in Coalville in Leicestershire, where his father was a solicitor. He was educated at the Boys' Grammar School in Ashby de la Zouch, and read modern history at Keble College, Oxford. He did not concentrate on his studies, spending his energies on extracurricular activities, and graduated with a fourth class degree.

He became a teacher of English, but was called to the bar at Gray's Inn in 1968 and joined the Chambers at 1 King's Bench Walk after serving a pupillage there with David Smout. He practised mainly in criminal law on the Midland and Oxford Circuit, with a side line in personal injury. His obituaries praise his strong court performance and ability to pitch his argument to suit the jury. He served as defence counsel in the Matrix Churchill case in 1992, and in the murder trial of Beverley Allitt in 1993. He was prosecution counsel in the trial of groom Clem O'Brien for the murder of racehorse trainer Alex Scott in 1995.

He became head of chambers at 36 Bedford Row from 1991 to 1999, and became a bencher at Gray's Inn. He became a Queen's Counsel in 1987, was a member of the General Council of the Bar from 1989 to 1991 and 1996 to 1999, and Leader of the Midland and Oxford Circuit from 1996 to 1999.

He sat as a Recorder from 1982 to 2000, and as a Deputy High Court judge from 1994 to 2000. He was appointed a High Court judge in 2000, in the Queen's Bench Division, and received the customary knighthood. On 21 November 2000, he granted an injunction to Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones to prevent publication of pictures of their wedding in Hello! magazine, but the injunction was quickly overturned by the Court of Appeal. Douglas and Zeta-Jones later won substantial damages. He sat on the "Donnygate" trial in 2002, in which two men were sent to prison for corruption at Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council.

He was involved in advocacy training, and the James Hunt Library at Nottingham Trent University is named in his honour.

He was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor. He was survived by his wife - whom he married in 1969 after they met when he was a teacher and she was his pupil - and their son and three daughters. He sang as a bass with his local Gilbert and Sullivan society and his brother's jazz band.

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