Brian Hutton

James Brian Edward Hutton, (Baron Hutton best known as Lord Hutton), PC (member of Her Majesty's Privy Council), was born June 29, 1931. He is a former Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland and British Lord of Appeal in Ordinary.

Role in David Kelly affair

Hutton chaired the controversial inquiry into the Dr David Kelly scandal. The body of former United Nations weapons inspector Dr Kelly was found in July 2003 in woods close to his Oxfordshire home, shortly after he was exposed as the source of a BBC news report questioning the Government’s claims that Saddam Hussein had an arsenal of weapons of mass destruction, which could be deployed within 45 minutes.

Lord Hutton’s 2004 report, commissioned by Tony Blair, concluded that Dr Kelly killed himself by cutting his wrist with a blunt gardening knife.

According to a report in the Daily Mail, in 2010, in a highly unusual order, Lord Hutton secretly barred the release of all medical records, including the results of the post mortem, and unpublished evidence.

Dr Michael Powers QC, a doctor campaigning to overturn the Hutton findings, said: ‘What is it about David Kelly’s death which is so secret as to justify these reports being kept out of the public domain for 70 years?’

Campaigning Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker, who has also questioned the verdict that Dr Kelly committed suicide, said: ‘It is astonishing this is the first we’ve known about this decision by Lord Hutton and even more astonishing he should have seen fit to hide this material away.’

Resources

• Roy Hattersley, So why was Lord Hutton chosen? If he remains true to form, we know what to expect from his inquiry, The Guardian, 28 July 2003, acc 17 May 2010