# Thayne Forbes

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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix = [Sir](/source/Knight_Bachelor)
| name          = John Thayne Forbes
| image         = <!-- filename only, no "File:" or "Image:" prefix, and no enclosing [brackets](/source/brackets) -->
| alt           = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software -->
| caption       = 
| birth_name    = 
| birth_date    = {{birth date and age|1938|6|28|df=y}}
| birth_place   = [Isle of Wight](/source/Isle_of_Wight), England
| death_date    = 
| death_place   = 
| occupation    = retired British judge and barrister
| spouse        = {{marriage|Celia Joan Elderton|1960}}
| children      = 3
}}

'''Sir John Thayne Forbes''' (born 28 June 1938) is a British retired judge and [barrister](/source/barrister). As a [High Court](/source/High_Court_of_Justice) judge, he presided over the trial of [Harold Shipman](/source/Harold_Shipman) who was convicted of 15 murders in 2000 and subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment. Shipman is now recognised as one of the most [prolific serial killers in history](/source/List_of_serial_killers_by_number_of_victims). He led the [Al-Sweady Inquiry](/source/Al-Sweady_Inquiry), a five-year [public enquiry](/source/public_enquiry) that reported in 2014.<ref name="BBC - Al-Sweady Inquiry: UK army murder claims 'deliberate lies'">{{cite news|title=Al-Sweady Inquiry: UK army murder claims 'deliberate lies'|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-30515369|accessdate=17 December 2014|work=BBC News|date=17 December 2014}}</ref>

==Early life==
Forbes was born of Scottish parents on the [Isle of Wight](/source/Isle_of_Wight) on 28 June 1938.<ref name="WW 2018">{{cite book|title=Forbes, Hon. Sir Thayne (John)|website=[Who's Who 2018](/source/Who's_Who_2018)|publisher=Oxford University Press|doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.16062|date=1 December 2017}}</ref><ref name="bbc - Judge credited with thorough job">{{cite news|title=Judge credited with thorough job|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/uk/2000/the_shipman_murders/the_shipman_files/613065.stm|accessdate=24 December 2014|work=BBC News|date=31 January 2000}}</ref> He was educated at [Winchester College](/source/Winchester_College), a [public school](/source/Public_school_(United_Kingdom)) in [Winchester](/source/Winchester), Hampshire, and at Wolverton Grammar School, a co-educational state [grammar school](/source/grammar_school) in [Wolverton](/source/Wolverton), Buckinghamshire.<ref name="WW 2018" /> From 1957 to 1960, he studied law at [University College London](/source/University_College_London). He graduated with a [Bachelor of Laws](/source/Bachelor_of_Laws) (LLB) degree and a [Master of Laws](/source/Master_of_Laws) (LLM) degree.<ref name="bio - Atkin Chambers">{{cite web|title=Sir Thayne Forbes|url=http://www.atkinchambers.com/people/index.cfm?id=439|website=People|publisher=Atkin Chambers|accessdate=15 February 2015}}</ref>

==Military service==
From 1963 to 1966, Forbes served as an [Instructor Lieutenant](/source/Lieutenant_(navy)) in the [Royal Navy](/source/Royal_Navy).<ref name="bio - Atkin Chambers" /> On 2 December 1966, he was placed on the Emergency List for four years. This marked the end of military service and began the time period during which he was liable for call-up.<ref name="LG 20 September 1966">{{London Gazette |issue=44117 |date=20 September 1966 |pages=10171–10172  }}</ref>

==Legal career==
Forbes was [called to the bar](/source/called_to_the_bar) in 1966. In 1984, he was appointed [Queen's Counsel](/source/Queen's_Counsel) (QC).<ref name="bio - Al-Sweady Public Inquiry">{{cite web|title=The Inquiry Team|url=http://www.alsweadyinquiry.org/the_team/index.htm|website=Al-Sweady Public Inquiry|accessdate=15 February 2015|date=2009}}</ref> On 13 March 1986, he was appointed a [Recorder](/source/Recorder_(judge)), a part-time judge.<ref name="LG 18 March 1986">{{London Gazette |issue=50463 |date=18 March 1986 |page=3850 }}</ref>

On 5 June 1990, he was appointed a [Circuit Judge](/source/Circuit_judge_(England_and_Wales)).<ref name="bbc - Judge credited with thorough job" /><ref name="LG 12 June 1990">{{London Gazette |issue=52167 |date=12 June 1990 |page=10429 }}</ref> From 1990 to 1993, he was an Official Referee of the [Technology and Construction Court](/source/Technology_and_Construction_Court).<ref name="bio - Al-Sweady Public Inquiry" /> He was elected [Bencher](/source/Bencher) of the [Inner Temple](/source/Inner_Temple) in 1991.<ref name="bio - Atkin Chambers" /> On 24 May 1993, he was appointed a [High Court Judge](/source/High_Court_judge_(England_and_Wales)) and was assigned to the [Queen's Bench Division](/source/Queen's_Bench_Division).<ref name="bio - Al-Sweady Public Inquiry" /><ref name="LG 28 May 1993">{{London Gazette |issue=53316 |date=28 May 1993 |page=9331 }}</ref> He presided over the trial of [Harold Shipman](/source/Harold_Shipman), a serial killer who was convicted 2000.<ref name="Independent - Al-Sweady inquiry: Timeline of key dates in the £25m probe">{{cite news|last1=Withnall|first1=Adam|title=Al-Sweady inquiry: Timeline of key dates in the £25m probe|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/alsweady-inquiry-timeline-of-key-dates-in-the-25m-probe-9930704.html|accessdate=17 December 2014|work=The Independent|date=17 December 2014}}</ref> Between 2001 and 2004, he was Presiding Judge of the Technology and Construction Court. He retired from the High Court in January 2009.<ref name="bio - Al-Sweady Public Inquiry" />

In 2009, the [Al-Sweady Inquiry](/source/Al-Sweady_Inquiry) was set up to investigate allegations that British service personnel had murdered and ill-treated detainees in Iraq in 2004.<ref name="GOV - Publication of the Al-Sweady inquiry report">{{cite web|title=Publication of the Al-Sweady inquiry report|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/publication-of-the-al-sweady-inquiry-report|website=News|publisher=GOV.UK|accessdate=15 February 2015|date=17 December 2014}}</ref> On 25 November 2009, Forbes was appointed chairman of the [public inquiry](/source/public_inquiry).<ref name="bio - Al-Sweady Public Inquiry" /> The report was published in December 2014 and concluded that the allegations of torture and murder were untrue.<ref name="GOV - Publication of the Al-Sweady inquiry report" />

==Personal life==
In 1960, Forbes married Celia Joan Elderton. Together they have one daughter and two sons.<ref name="WW 2018" />

==References==
{{reflist}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Forbes, Thayne}}
Category:Living people
Category:British barristers
Category:Queen's Bench Division judges
Category:Knights Bachelor
Category:1938 births
Category:20th-century King's Counsel
Category:Alumni of University College London
Category:People from the Isle of Wight
Category:Royal Navy officers
Category:People educated at Winchester College
Category:Circuit judges (England and Wales)
Category:Official Referees (England and Wales)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Thayne Forbes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thayne_Forbes) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thayne_Forbes?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.