James Pickles

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Judge James Pickles (born 18 March 1925 in Halifax, Yorkshire^[1]) is a former English Circuit judge, now a tabloid columnist.

Contents 1 Legal career 2 Writing career 3 Personal life 4 References

[edit] Legal career

Pickles' career as a judge was highly controversial, and some of his judgments made headline news, resulting in calls for judges to be held more accountable.^{[citation needed]} His most notorious case involved giving a lenient sentence to a rapist on the grounds that the victim had been "asking for it"^[2].

He also courted controversy by publicly suggesting that young women might become pregnant between arrest and sentencing as a means of avoiding a prison sentence^[3]. And he was a vocal proponent of the legalization of cannabis^[4].

[edit] Writing career

Pickles retired as a judge in 1990. In addition to his tabloid journalism work, he has also written several novels and autobiographical books, including Off the Record, Judge for Yourself, and Straight from the Bench.

[edit] Personal life

He is the nephew of radio presenter Wilfred Pickles. His daughter, Carolyn Pickles, is an actress, who appeared in Emmerdale on television. His sister, Christina Pickles, is an actress, most famous for her role in US sitcom Friends. He has two sons, Roger and Simon Pickles, and numerous grandchildren including Sophie Pickles, or as she is more affectionately known by her godlike colleagues James and Kev; Pringles, Spo or Spunk.

[edit] References

1. ^ About Halifax, HalifaxUK.com
2. ^ The sobering subject of consent, The Telegraph newspaper, March 28 2007
3. ^ Divorce case judge tells sheikh to take off on his flying carpet, The Times Newspaper, November 16, 2007
4. ^ Criminal Justice, Judge James Pickles, Transform Drug Policy Foundation.