{{short description|1st Chief Justice of Republic of Kenya}} {{for|the American newspaperman and politician|John A. Ainley Jr.}} [[File:Sir John Ainley.jpg|thumb|Ainley at the 1959 signing of Brunei's Constitution]] '''Sir Alfred John Ainley''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|MC|size=100}} (10 May 1906 – 19 January 1992) was a British colonial judge, who served as Chief Justice of the Eastern Region of Nigeria, of Sarawak, North Borneo and Brunei, and of Kenya.
== Biography == He was born in England and educated at St Bees School, Cumbria and Corpus Christi College, Oxford.<ref name= AJH>{{cite book|title= Biographical register 1880-1974 |page= 293}}</ref>
He became a Magistrate in the Gold Coast in 1935. During the second World War he served as a lieutenant in the Gold Coast Regiment, active in the African theatre, and was awarded the Military Cross in 1941<ref>{{cite web|url=http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D7363274|title= Recommendation for Award for Ainley, Alfred John Rank: Lieutenant Regiment|publisher= The National Archives|accessdate = 4 October 2015}}</ref> for leading his platoon under fire in an attack against an enemy armoured vehicle. He personally threw grenades at it eventually forcing its capture.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/|title=The National Archives|last=Archives|first=The National|website=The National Archives|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-10-24}}</ref>
After the war he was appointed a Puisne Judge in Uganda (1945 to 1955), before spending a term as Chief Justice of the Eastern Region of Nigeria. He was knighted for his services in 1957.<ref>{{cite book| title= Who's Who in East Africa|page= 3}}</ref><ref name="AJH" />
In 1959 he was appointed Chief Justice of the United Judiciary of Sarawak, North Borneo and Brunei but then transferred back to Africa in 1963 to be Chief Justice of Kenya just prior to Kenyan independence in 1964, thereby becoming the first Chief Justice of the independent country.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=41885|date=4 December 1959|page=7675}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette |issue=42888|date=8 January 1963|page=243}}</ref> During his time in Kenya he was notable for sentencing Kisilu Mutua to death for conspiring in the murder of Pio Gama Pinto, a journalist and freedom fighter. The sentence was later commuted to 35 years imprisonment.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://softkenya.com/law/chief-justice-of-kenya/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316135820/http://softkenya.com/law/chief-justice-of-kenya/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=March 16, 2015|title= Chief Justice of Kenya|accessdate = 3 October 2015}}</ref>
He retired in 1968 and moved to live with his wife Mona Sybil in Watermillock, Cumbria.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cwherald.com/a/archive/25-years-penrith.280536.html|title=Cumberland and Westmorland Herald Oct 4th 2015}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Chief Justices of Kenya}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ainley, Andrew John}} Category:1906 births Category:People educated at St Bees School Category:Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Oxford Category:Recipients of the Military Cross Category:Chief justices of Kenya Category:Knights Bachelor Category:1992 deaths Category:Gold Coast (British colony) judges Category:British Borneo judges Category:Judges from the Protectorate of Uganda Category:British Kenya judges Category:Colonial Nigeria judges Category:British expatriate judges Category:British expatriates in Kenya Category:Expatriate judges on the courts of Kenya Category:Sarawak, North Borneo and Brunei judges Category:British Army personnel of World War II Category:Royal West African Frontier Force officers