Jeremy Hutchinson's Case Histories

By: Thomas Grant

Narrated by: David Timson

Length: 16 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

A compelling portrait of the time when freedom of speech and the need to throw off censorship came to the fore, told through its great trials, from Lady Chatterley's Lover to Howard Marks

Born in 1915 into the fringes of the Bloomsbury Group, Jeremy Hutchinson went on to become the greatest criminal barrister of the 1960s, '70s and '80s. The cases of that period changed society forever, and Hutchinson's role in them was second to none.

In Case Histories, Thomas Grant examines Jeremy Hutchinson's most remarkable trials, each one providing a fascinating look into Britain's postwar social, political and cultural history.

Accessibly and entertainingly written, Case Histories provides a definitive account of Jeremy Hutchinson's life and work. From the sex and spying scandals which contributed to Harold Macmillan's resignation in 1963 and the subsequent fall of the Conservative government to the fight against literary censorship through his defence of Lady Chatterley's Lover and Fanny Hill, Hutchinson was involved in many of the great trials of the period.

He defended George Blake, Christine Keeler, Great Train robber Charlie Wilson, Kempton Bunton (the only man successfully to steal a picture from the National Gallery), art faker Tom Keating, and Howard Marks, who, in a sensational defence, was acquitted of charges relating to the largest importation of cannabis in British history.

He also prevented the suppression of Bernardo Bertolucci's notorious film Last Tango in Paris and did battle with Mary Whitehouse when she prosecuted the director of the play Romans in Britain.

Above all else Jeremy Hutchinson's career, both at the bar and later as a member of the House of Lords, has been one devoted to the preservation of individual liberty and to resisting the incursions of an overbearing state. Case Histories provides entertaining, vivid, and revealing insights into what was really going on in those celebrated courtroom dramas that defined an age as well as painting a picture of a remarkable life.

©2015 Thomas Grant (P)2015 Hodder & Stoughton

Critic reviews

"Throughout a long career, [Jeremy Hutchinson's] brilliant and stylish advocacy achieved success in cases that looked unwinnable." (Helena Kennedy)
"Jeremy was not just a good lawyer; he was fearless in standing up to judges. He was the most formidable advocate of the 1960s and '70s and he had a marvellous sense of mischief." (Geoffrey Robertson)

before law school

The intricacy of the advocacy is really intriguing and useful. I wish I had read it sooner.

Lovely narrator, but a dull hagiography

There are two reasons I did not like this book. First, the author does not appear trustworthy, including rank speculation that there might have been secret communications between the government and the court in a spy case based on nothing more than the judge having imposed a harsh sentence when Hutchinson requested a lenient one. Second, Hutchinson is lauded for his lofty rhetoric, which is extensively quoted. Thankfully, the legal profession has mostly moved past flowery language to focus on the facts, but either that was not the case when Hutchinson was practicing, or the author decided to take the easy way out and quote lengthy arguments rather than explain the strategies and investigations that led to them. I found it dull and did not finish it.