John Cooper (barrister)

British barrister

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John Gordon Cooper KC (born 15 September 1958 in Wolverhampton)[1] is a British barrister specialising in human rights and criminal law, and a politician.

## Career

[edit]

Cooper is a member of 25 Bedford Row Chambers in London. He specialises in cases of homicide and serious violence, serious fraud and drug offences. He has also acted in cases such as the Jacintha Saldanha inquest, the Duchess of Cambridge prank call case[2] and represented Nicola Edgington during her murder trial.[3] Cooper also represented Thomas Cashman in his trial for the Murder of Olivia Pratt-Korbel in Liverpool.[4]

In 2012 he successfully acted for Paul Chambers in his appeal over the Twitter Joke Trial, a legal case centred on the conviction of a man who posted a joke on Twitter about destroying an airport.[5]

He represented the majority of bereaved families in the Manchester Arena Inquiry (2020-2022).[6] Other inquiries include representing the Labour Opposition Group, as a result of the Grenfell Tower fire.[7]

He advised the London Mayor Sadiq Khan in relation to the 2018 John Worboys judicial review.[8] Other judicial reviews include the cases of the deaths at Deepcut army barracks,[9] of the government weapons inspector David Kelly[10] and the challenge to the government in relation to the Conservative–DUP agreement.[11]

Cooper advised 43 Labour MPs in relation to the 2019 British prorogation controversy.[citation needed]

He represented Ian Fitzgibbon in the 2023 Ashley Dale murder trial.[12] He also acted for the defence in the so-called Tik Tok murder trial.[13]

Cooper is a member of the Bar of England and Wales, and the Australian Bar. He was appointed honorary professor of law at Cardiff University in 2011.[14]

### Animal Welfare

[edit]

John Cooper was Chair of the League Against Cruel Sports from 1996-2012 and President from 2012-2015.[15][16][17] During his tenure the Labour Government enacted the Hunting Act 2004 which criminalised hunting with hounds.[18] Cooper also advised on the drafting of the Pet Abduction Act 2024 which increased sentences for those convicted of stealing domestic pets.[19]

He advised Queen guitarist Brian May and his Save Me organisation in their action against a badger cull.[20] Cooper is patron of Born Innocent, a campaigning organisation working for the reform of breed specific legislation in relation to dogs.[21]

Cooper represented the International Fund for Animal Welfare on a number of occasions including in the private prosecution of Clarissa Dickson-Wright for attending hare coursing events.[22] He also contributed to The Link Between Animal Abuse and Human Violence.[23]

### Politics

[edit]

Cooper ran for the House of Commons as a candidate for the Labour Party in the 1987 election in North West Surrey and in the 1992 election in Amber Valley. He was a councillor on Watford Borough Council from 1990 to 1994.[1]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "John Cooper, Esq". Debrett's People of Today. Debrett's. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
2. ^ "Royal hoax phone call inquest: Nurse 'took own life'". BBC News. 12 September 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
3. ^ "Convicted killer who murdered innocent passerby faces life sentence". The Telegraph. 7 February 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
4. ^ "Olivia Pratt-Korbel case pitted defiant star witness against killer's cleverness". The Guardian. 30 March 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
5. ^ "Chambers v Director of Public Prosecutions [2012] EWHC 2157 (QB) (27 July 2012)". BAILII. 27 July 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
6. ^ "The firebrand human rights QC giving a voice to the victims of the Manchester Arena outrage - Manchester Evening News". www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk. 31 October 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
7. ^ Perkins, Anne (2 March 2018). "Labour councillors say they are being cut out of Grenfell fire inquiry". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
8. ^ Sawer, Patrick (3 February 2018). "Leading barrister in Worboys judicial review bid replaced after three weeks of tax payer funded work on case". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
9. ^ "Deepcut inquest: Soldier thought base was 'under attack'". BBC News. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
10. ^ "Dr David Kelly inquest ruling challenge fails". BBC News. 19 December 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
11. ^ Bowcott, Owen (26 October 2017). "Tory-DUP £1bn deal: crowdfunded legal challenge reaches high court". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
12. ^ "Everything heard in court during sixth week of Ashley Dale murder trial - Liverpool Echo". www.liverpoolecho.co.uk. 12 November 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
13. ^ "TikTok murder trial: Victims' families speak of 'devastation'". BBC News. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
14. ^ "John Cooper QC Honorary visiting professor". New Law Journal. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
15. ^ Doward, Jamie (28 November 2015). "League Against Cruel Sports removes president amid whistleblower row". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
16. ^ "Law Lords stand by ban on hunting". BBC News. 13 October 2005. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
17. ^ "Review of League Against Cruel Sports' Honorary Positions". League Against Cruel Sports. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
18. ^ "Law Lords stand by ban on hunting". BBC News. 13 October 2005. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
19. ^ "Pet theft law change urged as cases go 'through the roof' in lockdown". BBC News. 17 June 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
20. ^ "Badger Cull Ruling". ITV. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
21. ^ "The Simplest Way to Understand the Dangerous Dogs Act & Breed Specific Legislation in the UK". K9 Magazine. 14 February 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
22. ^ "Clarissa Dickson-Wright and Sir Mark Prescott plead guilty to hare coursing". Horse and Hound. 3 September 2009. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
23. ^ The Link Between Animal Abuse and Human Violence. Liverpool University Press. 2009. doi:10.2307/jj.4116413. ISBN 978-1-84519-325-6. Retrieved 30 October 2024. `{{cite book}}`: `|website=` ignored (help)

## External links

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* Official website
* \- 25 Bedford Row Chambers profile

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