Michael Argyle (lawyer)
His Honour James Morton Michael Victor Argyle QC MC (31 August 1915 – 4 January 1999) was a judge at the Central Criminal Court of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1988. Earlier, as a barrister, he defended Ronnie Biggs and, as a judge, presided at the Oz obscenity trial.
Biography
Argyle attended Shardlow Hall prep school[1] and Trinity College, Cambridge, he was well known for his right wing views; he was an active member of the Conservative Party. He fought Belper in the 1950 general election.
As a barrister he became known for defending Ronnie Biggs in his trial for the Great Train Robbery. As a judge, he is best remembered for his controversial role during the Oz obscenity trial, in which the three Oz editors (Richard Neville, Jim Anderson and Felix Dennis) were tried on three charges, including "conspiracy to corrupt public morals", an offence which, in theory, carried a virtually unlimited penalty. Argyle though caused amusement for his question to counsel: "What is this cunnilinctus?"[2]
The three defendants were found guilty, with Argyle sentencing Neville and Anderson to serve a term of imprisonment with hard labour, but the convictions were subsequently overturned on appeal, when it was found that Argyle had misdirected the trial jury on several occasions. Argyle retired from the Bench in 1988, but continued to campaign for the restoration of the death penalty.
At the time of Argyle's sentencing in the Oz trial, he had given Dennis a reduced punishment on the basis of his "lower intelligence". In 1995, the now millionaire publisher Felix Dennis won a libel action against The Spectator. In an article published on 20 May 1995, Argyle had claimed Dennis and his Oz co-defendants had imported and peddled drugs to school children, and also implied that they were behind threats against his life which had obliged him to stay in a hotel during the trial, guarded by armed Special Branch police.[3] The Spectator donated £10,000 to two charities nominated by Dennis, in lieu of damages. However he declined to sue Argyle personally, commenting: "Oh, I don't want to make him a martyr of the Right: there's no glory to be had in suing an 80-year-old man and taking his house away from him. It was just a totally obvious libel."[4]
References
- ↑ ‘Argyle, His Honour Major Michael Victor’, Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920–2007; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007 accessed 6 Sept 2008
- ↑ Quoted in The Times obituary of John Mortimer, 17 January 2008
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