Until March 2022 Her Honour Wendy Joseph KC was a judge at the Old Bailey, sitting on criminal cases, trying mainly allegations of murder and other homicide. She read English and Law at Cambridge, was called to the Bar by Gray's Inn in 1975, became a QC in 1998 and sat as a full-time judge from 2007 to 2022. When she moved to the Old Bailey in 2012 she was the only woman amongst sixteen judges, and only the third woman ever to hold a permanent position there. She was also a Diversity and Community Relations Judge, working to promote understanding between the judiciary and many different sectors of our community, particularly those from less privileged and minority groups. She mentors young people, from a variety of backgrounds, who hope for a career in law and has a special interest in helping women. Her first book, Unlawful Killings, won the Crime Writer's Association 'Gold Dagger' for Non-fiction and was a Sunday Times bestseller.
A vivid picture of the thoughts, feelings and actions of a woman judge as she tries cases involving women as victims/perpetrators and asks herself whether we do them justice. A compelling read. -- Lady Hale Rough Justice raises profound questions about what the words guilty and innocent actually mean. Written with great style and aplomb and full of surprises, I would give this to anyone interested in the law, indeed anyone interested in their fellow humans. The criminal law has found its voice: quiet, determined, steely, and yet always humane. -- JUSTIN WEBB, Today Programme presenter and author of The Gift of a Radio You’ll hear a lot of wonderful things being said about Wendy Joseph’s Rough Justice and I have to tell you that they’re all justified. A worthy follow-up to her bestselling debut Unlawful Killings this is a book that will make you question what justice is and whether or not it actually gets dispensed by our courts. -- Emeritus Professor David Wilson, author of My Life with Murderers Beautifully written, immensely engaging, powerful and disturbing insight into a judge’s work and the choices faced. -- Peter James, author of the Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series A fascinating and entertaining view of our criminal justice system from the perspective of the Bench. Wendy Joseph tells stories of criminal prosecutions where women are on trial for serious offences. All the characters of the crown court come alive from judge’s clerk to problematic jury members, from overconfident counsel to the frightened defendant with Her Honour left to play umpire and make the whole system run as smoothly as possible. It is a relatively fair procedure, but can justice be served in cases where there is often a complex and hidden past?’ -- Harriet Wistrich, author of Sister in Law