February 4, 2020
Former Head of Chambers and RLC Consultant HH Peter Rook QC has joined the Parole Board as its new judicial Vice Chair.
Called to the Bar in 1973 Peter was appointed a Queens Counsel in 1991. In June 2005 he was appointed a Senior Circuit Judge to sit at the Old Bailey retiring at the end of March 2017. He has also sat as a judge in the Court of Appeal and sat as a coroner between 2017 and 2019.
Peter was Chair of the Criminal Bar Association from 2002 until 2003 and Head of Chambers from 2002 until 2005. He is the co-author of a leading textbook now in its fifth edition “Sexual Offences: Law and Practice”.
Martin Jones, Chief Executive of the Parole Board said:
“I am delighted that His Honour Peter Rook QC will be joining the Parole Board as its new judicial Vice Chair. Peter’s considerable experience as a criminal judge, particularly on the sentencing of those convicted of sexual offences, will be a real asset to the Board. I would also pay tribute to the work of Sir John Saunders who is standing down as vice chair, but thankfully continuing as a Parole Board member, who has made a significant contribution to the work of the Parole Board, in particular through his hard work to develop and implement the new reconsideration mechanism that was introduced in July 2019.”
HH Peter Rook QC said:
“I am honoured to be given this opportunity. I have worked within the criminal justice system for most of my working life and I am looking forward to using that experience to assist the Parole Board in its vitally important work.”
HH Peter Rook QC is part of the RLConsulting, a new initiative led by Dame Linda Dobbs whereby a small group of senior and highly respected individuals offer their expertise and services both nationally and internationally. For more info see: [RLConsulting]
