Judith Ablett-Kerr

Judith Ablett-Kerr
ONZM KC
Ablett-Kerr in 2012
Born
Judith Mary Ablett

1946 or 1947 (age 77–78)
Wales
Alma materUniversity of London
Occupation(s)Criminal defence lawyer
Queen's Counsel

Judith Mary Ablett-Kerr ONZM KC (née Ablett; born 1946 or 1947) is a criminal defence lawyer and King's Counsel in New Zealand.[1]

Early life and education

Ablett-Kerr was born in 1946 or 1947 in Wales and grew up there.[2] Her mother Bessie died when she was eight, and her father Henry raised Ablett-Kerr and her brother. Her father was a lay Baptist preacher and a Conservative politician. Ablett-Kerr joined the Welsh Young Conservatives as a teenager and became the branch chair at the age of 15. She was also a national debating champion in her teenage years.[2]

Ablett-Kerr studied law at the University of London and was admitted to the bar in Cardiff in 1970.[2] She was the second female barrister in Wales.[3]

Career

Ablett-Kerr began her career as a Crown prosecutor in Wales.[3] She emigrated to New Zealand and settled in Dunedin in 1981. She was admitted to the New Zealand bar in 1982.[4] In April 1995, she was appointed a Queen's Counsel, becoming the third female and the first female criminal defence lawyer in New Zealand to be made a QC.[2]

Ablett-Kerr has served as defence lawyer in a number of high-profile cases. In the mid-1990s she and Greg King successfully defended scientist Vicky Calder against charges of attempted murder. She worked for childcare worker Peter Ellis following his conviction in the Christchurch Civic Childcare Centre case, and defended Clayton Weatherston for the murder of Sophie Elliott.[2]

Ablett-Kerr has defended a number of women in domestic violence cases, most notably Gay Oakes, who was convicted for burying her partner in their garden but released on parole in 2002.[1]

In the 2002 Queen's Birthday and Golden Jubilee Honours, Ablett-Kerr was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the legal profession.[5]

Personal life

Ablett-Kerr was twice married before moving to New Zealand.[2] She had a son, Rupert, from her first marriage to a London judge, and another son, Edward, from her second marriage to Edward Hampson, an insurance broker.[2][6] In 1987, she married Lewis Kerr,[2] known as a theatre director in Dunedin, and the couple adopted the surname Ablett-Kerr.[6][7] Her elder son, Rupert Ablett-Hampson, became a lawyer, and was appointed the deputy chief censor of New Zealand in 2021.[2][8] Her younger son, Edward Ablett-Hampson, has been a staffer for Murray McCully when he was the minister of foreign affairs,[2] and a principal advisor at the Ministry of Social Development.[9]

Ablett-Kerr's brother, Michael Ablett, was the National Party's candidate in the Dunedin Central electorate at the 1978 general election, but was not elected, finishing second behind the Labour candidate, Brian MacDonell.[1][10]

References

  1. ^ a b c Catherall, Sarah (24 April 2005). "National politics on the cards for QC Judith Ablett-Kerr". NZ Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Judith Ablett Kerr – fervent defender of justice for all". Stuff. 18 August 2009. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  3. ^ a b Goodman-Delahunty and Das (2017). Trends in Legal Advocacy: Interviews with Prosecutors and Criminal Defense Lawyers Across the Globe, Volume One. CRC Press.
  4. ^ Little, Paul (2015). Stroppy Old Women : 52 Kiwi Women, Who've Been Around Long Enough to Know, Tell You What's Wrong with the World. Auckland: Paul Little Books. ISBN 978-0-473-25860-3. OCLC 905683016.
  5. ^ "Queen's Birthday and Golden Jubilee honours list 2002". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 3 June 2002. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  6. ^ a b "Forthcoming marriages". The Times. 4 September 2004. Retrieved 4 February 2004.
  7. ^ Fox, Rebecca (25 May 2017). "No easy answers". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  8. ^ "Appointment to the Office of Film and Literature Classification". New Zealand Gazette. 21 July 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  9. ^ "Waitangi Tribunal – WAI 2750, The Housing Policy and Services Inquiry – Part I: Record of Proceedings" (PDF). Ministry of Houseing and Urban Development. 22 July 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  10. ^ Norton, Clifford (1988). New Zealand Parliamentary Election Results 1946–1987: Occasional Publications No 1, Department of Political Science. Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington. p. 213. ISBN 0-475-11200-8.