George Alfred Carman,QC(6 October 1929 – 2 January 2001) was an English leadingbarristerduring the 1980s and 1990s. In 1979, he successfully defended the formerLiberalleaderJeremy Thorpeafter he was charged with conspiracy to murder. Carman had been appointed as aQueen's Counsel(QC) eight years previously. He later appeared in a series of widely publicised criminal cases and libel cases.
George Carman | |
|---|---|
| Born | George Alfred Carman 6 October 1929 Blackpool,Lancashire,England |
| Died | 2 January 2001(aged 71) London,England |
| Nationality | British |
| Other names | "Gorgeous George" "Killer Carman"[1] |
| Alma mater | Balliol College University of Oxford |
| Occupation | Barrister |
| Spouse(s) | Ursula Groves (1955–1960) Cecilia Sparrow (1960–1976) Frances Venning(1976–1984) |
| Children | Dominic Carman |
Early life
editCarman was born in Blackpool, the son of Alfred George Carman and Evelyn (née Moylan) Carman. His father, a former soldier and auctioneer, briefly owned a furniture business, and his mother, the family's main breadwinner, owned a dress shop.[2][3]
His parents met in Ireland; his mother was the daughter of a Waterford cattle dealer, Michael Moylan.[4]Irish hurling playerChristy Moylanwas an uncle. George attendedSt Joseph's Collegein Blackpool, run byChristian Brothersfrom Ireland, and aRoman Catholicseminary,St Joseph's College, Upholland,where he trained to be apriest.[3]
Despite being 5 feet 3 inches tall, Carman fulfilled hisNational Serviceduty in the British Army. In 1949, he went on to read law atBalliol College, Oxford.While at Oxford, he first met his future client Jeremy Thorpe, when Thorpe (then President of theOxford Union) invited Carman to be a main speaker in a debate.[5]Carman graduated in 1952 with a first-class honours degree injurisprudence.[3]
Early career
editCarman wascalled to the baratLincoln's Innin 1953, after passing his bar finals in May of that year with a third class degree.[6]He was a pupil barrister at the chambers ofNeil Lawsonat 1 Harcourt Buildings and then practised as a barrister on theNorthern CircuitinManchester,based at the chambers of Godfrey Heilper QC at 60 King Street, later 47 Peter Street, doing mostly criminal andpersonal injurywork.
Carman was appointedQueen's Counselin 1971, and moved to Byrom Street Chambers, with a London seat at 5 Essex Court in the Temple. A year later, he was appointed as arecorder,a part-time judicial role.[4]He resigned as a recorder in 1984.
Carman defended the manager ofBattersea Fun Fairin 1973, when the manager was accused of manslaughter afterthe big dipper ride malfunctionedin May 1972, resulting in the deaths of five children. This case brought him to the attention of the London solicitorDavid Napley,who instructed him to representJeremy Thorpe,the former Leader of the Liberal Party. In 1979, after successfully defending Thorpe, who was charged with three other men withconspiracy to murder Norman Scottin a case which became thecause célèbreof the decade, he became involved in several significant criminal trials during the 1980s. He practised exclusively from London chambers after June 1980.
Criminal cases
editIn 1981, Carman defendedLeonard Arthur,a consultant paediatrician, which he would later see as his proudest moment. He later said of Arthur, who had been accused of murdering aDown's syndromebaby: "He was a very dedicated doctor and clearly a kind and moral man who had done much good for thousands of mothers in this country – hundreds of whom wrote to him and sent flowers during the trial. His acquittal by the jury, very quickly, is the moment in my career which has given me the greatest pleasure".[7]In 1981, Carman accepted an appointment to theHigh Court in Hong Kong,but later declined it, preferring to argue cases in court.[8]
In 1982, Carman unsuccessfully defendedGeoffrey Prime,a British spy who sold and disclosed information to the Soviet Union and also indecently assaulted young girls.[9]Prime was sentenced to 38 years in prison. In 1983, he represented the family of bankerRoberto Calvi,whose body—weighted down with bricks and stones—had been found hanging under London'sBlackfriars Bridgein June 1982.[10]Carman asserted that Calvi was murdered, and convinced theHigh Courtto reverse the original verdict of suicide and order a newinquest.[11]Also in 1983, he successfully defendedCoronation StreetactorPeter Adamson,who was acquitted of indecently assaulting two eight-year-old girls in a public swimming pool inHaslingden.[12]Adamson later admitted his guilt.[12]
In 1989, Carman successfully defended comedianKen Doddon charges oftax evasion,saying, "Some accountants are comedians, but comedians are never accountants."[8]He also successfully representedCarole Richardson,one of theGuildford Four,falsely accused of a 1974 deadly pub bombing carried out by theProvisional IRA— when their convictions were quashed on appeal in 1989.[13]In 1991, solicitorDavid Napleyretained Carman to advise and defendGreville Janner,later Lord Janner, during investigations into allegations of child sexual abuse; according toDominic Carman,the barrister's son, both Napley and Carman were astonished when Janner was not charged.[14]
Libel cases
editDuring the 1990s, Carman appeared in many prominentlibeltrials on behalf of British newspapers, including the successful defence ofThe Guardianagainst a libel case brought by theConservativepolitician,Jonathan Aitken.He became known for his celebrity clients, attracting headlines for his robustcross-examination,colourful one-liners in court and for winning difficult cases against seemingly insurmountable odds. When called back to Manchester in 1991 to save theHaçiendanightclub from the threat of police closure, Carman soon found the problem: the proclamations of ownerTony Wilson.[clarification needed]It was reported that his opening advice was "Gentlemen, shut that loudmouth up!"[15]
Carman's reputation was built through representingThe News of the WorldagainstSonia Sutcliffe,The SunagainstGillian Taylforth,Elton JohnagainstMirror Group Newspapers,Richard Bransonin the"dirty tricks"cases againstBritish AirwaysandGTech,Imran Khanagainst fellow former cricketers,Ian BothamandAllan Lamb,Tom CruiseandNicole KidmanagainstExpress Newspapers,andMohamed Al-FayedagainstNeil Hamilton,as well as his representation ofChannel 4when they were sued for libel by South African journalistJani Allan.[16]
Carman was head of chambers of New Court, Temple for 20 years before the chambers dissolved under him in January 2000.[17]He then joined 4–5Gray's Inn Square,replacingCherie Booth,the wife of then-Prime MinisterTony Blair.[17]Seven months later, on 29 August 2000, Carman announced his retirement.[17]
Personal life
editCarman was married and divorced three times.[8]He married Ursula Groves in 1955; they separated in 1958 and were divorced in 1960. He then married Cecilia Sparrow in July 1960, with whom he had one son,Dominic Carman.They separated in 1973 and divorced in 1976. He married Frances Venning in March 1976; they separated in 1983 and divorced in 1984.[2]In later life, his companion was a barrister, Karen Phillips.[18]He appeared as a guest on the BBC'sDesert Island Discsin June 1990.[19]
His son Dominic[3]wrote a biography of his father,No Ordinary Man: A Life of George Carman,in 2002 and stood as aLiberal Democratcandidate inBarkingfor the2010 General election[20]and at the2011 Barnsley Central by-election.[21]In his biography, Dominic Carman recorded that his father was emotionally abusive to him, emotionally and physically abusive to his wives and described him as a bisexual binge-drinker. The 2022 documentaryJimmy Savile: A British Horror Storyinterviewed both Dominic Carman and newspaper editorPaul Connew;in the documentary, both Carman and Connew indicated that George Carman was aware of Savile's proclivity for underage sex. In an article inThe Guardianin 2012, Dominic Carman stated that his father was well aware that Savile had committed sexual offences against children.[22]
Death
editCarman suffered withprostate cancerfor several years, and died on 2 January 2001,[23]inMertonin southwest London.
According to an obituary published inThe Lawyeron 9 January 2001, Carman "...was thought of by many as one of the most difficult men in the legal profession, with a somewhat brash and even obnoxious persona."[24]
Carman's funeral was held atWestminster Cathedralwith a memorial service atSt Clement Danes.
Media portrayals
editIn April 2002, theBBCbroadcast thebiographicaldramaGet Carman: The Trials of George Carman QCstarringDavid Suchetas Carman,Lisa Maxwellas Gillian Taylforth, Douglas Reith as Jonathan Aitken and Sarah Berger as Jani Allan.[25]The title refers toGuardianeditorAlan Rusbridger's response to the news of Aitken's 1995 libel action against the paper: "We'd better get Carman—before Aitken gets him."[1]
In 2018, Carman was portrayed byAdrian Scarboroughin the BBC dramaA Very English Scandalabout theThorpe affair.[26][27]
References
edit- ^ab"George Carman".The Guardian.2 January 2001.Retrieved30 June2018.
- ^abMorton, James (3 January 2001)."George Carman obituary".The Independent.Archived fromthe originalon 14 April 2011.Retrieved17 November2008.
- ^abcd"George Carman: The Bar's 'silver fox'".bbc.co.uk. 2 January 2001.Retrieved17 November2008.
- ^abCarman, Dominic (24 January 2002).No Ordinary Man: A Life of George Carman.London:Hodder & Stoughton Ltd.ISBN0-340-82098-5.
- ^Philips, Karen; Johnstone, Iain (18 May 2018)."George Carman: the man who defended Jeremy Thorpe and won the 'trial of the century'".The Telegraph.ISSN0307-1235.Retrieved30 June2018.(subscription required)
- ^The Times Newspaper 9 June 1953 page 2
- ^Sweeney, John (19 December 1999)."Brief encounters – George Carman".The Observer.Retrieved17 November2008.
- ^abc"George Carman".The Daily Telegraph.2001.ISSN0307-1235.Retrieved30 June2018.
- ^Cole, David (1 November 2017).Geoffrey Prime: The Imperfect Spy.The Crowood Press.ISBN9780719826160.
- ^"Profile: Excuse me while I take you apart: George Carman QC, ultimate".The Independent.Retrieved30 June2018.
- ^AP (30 March 1983)."NEW INQUEST SET IN CALVI'S DEATH".The New York Times.Retrieved30 June2018.
- ^abCarman, Dominic (13 October 2012)."How my father may have helped Jimmy Savile escape justice".The Guardian.Retrieved30 June2018.
- ^"Day of anger and shame at the Old Bailey".HeraldScotland.20 October 1989.Retrieved14 January2020.
- ^Joe Mills"Judge who reviewed Lord Janner child sex abuse case was friend of peer's barrister",IBTimes.co.uk, 25 April 2015.
- ^"Back to the Factory".The Guardian.12 January 2000.Retrieved17 November2008.
- ^A HAM THAT CAN'T BE CURED,spectator.co.uk, 21 August 1992.
- ^abc"After 47 years 'Gorgeous' George Carman QC, the tiny giant of British".The Independent.Retrieved30 June2018.
- ^"George Carman was a wife-beating drunk, says son".The Independent.Retrieved30 June2018.
- ^Presenter:Sue Lawley(29 June 1990)."Desert Island Discs: George Carman QC".Desert Island Discs.BBC.BBC Radio Four.Retrieved3 June2018.
- ^Whitehead, Tom (7 April 2010)."General Election 2010: BNP leader Nick Griffin accused of advocating violence".Daily Telegraph.ISSN0307-1235.Retrieved30 June2018.
- ^"Mini-manifestos: Barnsley Central".22 February 2011.Retrieved30 June2018.
- ^Carman, Dominic (13 October 2012)."How my father may have helped Jimmy Savile escape justice".The Observer.
- ^Verkaik, Robert (3 January 2001)."Britain's most-feared lawyer, George Carman, dies at 71".The Independent.Retrieved17 November2008.[dead link]
- ^"George Alfred Carman QC: 1929-2001".The Lawyer.8 January 2001.Retrieved30 June2018.(subscription required)
- ^"Get Carman: The Trials of George Carman".Internet Movie Database.5 April 2002.Retrieved17 November2008.
- ^Wollaston, Sam (3 June 2018)."A Very English Scandal finale review – leaves you reeling, seething and laughing".The Guardian.Retrieved4 June2018.
- ^"A Very English Scandal: Series 1, Episode 3: Credits".BBC Online.BBC.Retrieved4 June2018.
Sources
edit- Michael Beloff,"Carman, George Alfred (1929–2001)",Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Jan 2005; online edn, Jan 2011; accessed 3 June 2014.(subscription required)
Further reading
edit- Carman, Dominic (24 January 2002).No Ordinary Man: A Life of George Carman.London:Hodder & Stoughton Ltd.ISBN0-340-82098-5.
