THOUGHT leadership with a social conscience has characterised the judicial career of The Hon. Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb, since she became the first Asian woman to be appointed a High Court judge in 2015.
This past year, the former 2 Hare Court barrister has adjudicated on a number of high-profile cases at the Court of Appeal, including that of disgraced former Labour Peterborough MP Fiona Onasanya and domestic violence victim Sally Challen.
Last year, while presiding over the sentencing of the Finsbury Park mosque terror attacker, Darren Osbourne, she received national media attention when she exhorted all citizens to “respond to evil with good”.
She was speaking in commendation of the Imam, who, in the immediate aftermath of the carnage, shielded the assailant from furious witnesses to the horrific scenes, imploring them to allow justice to run its course.
In an exclusive interview with the GG2 Power List, she says it is everyone’s duty to strive to maintain a balanced and reasonable perspective - advice that seems particularly apt for our currently polarised society.
“As a lawyer, I have often seen people change their minds once the full picture emerges. In order to decide how to act, what opinions to hold, whether to change your mind and who to respect and follow - we have to be prepared to rigorously challenge even our own firmly held ideas. One step that would help is the wider teaching of critical thinking to children in schools.”
During her time as a barrister, she specialized in business crime, homicide and terrorism and her Chamber’s biography acknowledged, “her well-deserved reputation for hard work and an astute tactical sense make her, for many, the first choice for the most serious criminal trials and quasi-criminal public law work.”
Born in Derby, and educated at City of Leeds School, she went on to study Law at King’s College London and was called to the Bar in 1989.
In 2006, the barrister, who has prosecuted in over 50 murder cases, became the first Asian woman to be appointed a Junior Treasury Counsel, later becoming only the third woman ever to become a Senior Treasury Counsel, where she advised in a number of cases involving international corruption and national security issues.
Having become a Recorder in 2007, she took Silk in 2013 and was appointed a Queens Counsel, later being bestowed the title of Dame Bobbie Cheema-Grubb by the Queen in 2016.
In addition to her work at the coal face, Cheema-Grubb is nominated by the Lord Chief Justice to exercise, with the Lord Chancellor, his disciplinary powers in respect of all magistrates in England and Wales. In January 2019, she became a Presiding Judge responsible for the deployment, discipline and well-being of all criminal judges and magistrates on the South Eastern circuit.
This year, she was also invited to China to train senior Chinese judges on the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and the UK courts’ approach to dealing with human trafficking, while also hosting two separate visits of Chinese judges to London this past summer (Note to editor - 2019).
“I have always enjoyed opportunities to help in the training of lawyers and judges”, she says. “China is a society very different to our own: in its structure, history, laws and culture. Personally, it is always rewarding to have something to share and despite the differences in our countries; communication, discussion and showing how we seek constantly to develop our system to make it more just, is very worthwhile.”
In addition to being the Induction and Mentor judge for new High Court Judges, she is also joint Chair of the Courts Committee and takes a leading role in the training of magistrates.
“The work of magistrates is rewarding and valuable,” she enthuses. “I urge anyone who hasn’t considered becoming a magistrate to do so. The system of justice would also benefit from younger people and those from a wider range of backgrounds putting themselves forward.”
