Alec Southwell

Alec James Southwell QC (1 November 1926 – 26 January 2018)^[1] was a judge from 3 April 1979 until 11 April 1997 in the Supreme Court of Victoria, which is the highest ranking court in the Australian State of Victoria. At the time of his retirement, Southwell was believed to be Australia's longest-serving judge.^[2]

The Honourable Alec Southwell QC
Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria
In office 3 April 1979 (1979-04-03) – 11 April 1997 (1997-04-11)
Personal details
Born	(1926-11-01)1 November 1926
Died	26 January 2018(2018-01-26) (aged 91)
Nationality	Australian
Alma mater	University of Melbourne
Profession	Lawyer
Military service
Branch/service	Royal Australian Naval Reserve
Years of service	1944–1945

Early life

Southwell was educated at Melbourne Grammar School and the University of Melbourne.^[2]

Southwell served with the Royal Australian Naval Reserve in New Guinea and Morotai in the later part of World War II.^[2]

Legal career

He was appointed a Queen's Counsel in 1968 and a County Court judge in 1969.^[2]

Southwell was part of the full bench that quashed a conviction of Michael Glennon for charges of paedophilia while he was a Catholic priest. Southwell was the dissenting judge who held that the decision could lead to a situation where adverse media publicity could prevent someone from ever facing trial. The situation had been precipitated by Derryn Hinch had used his radio program to campaign against Glennon.^[2]

Following retirement

Following his retirement, he remained a reserve judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria and a member of the Legal Profession Tribunal which considers disciplinary cases against lawyers until 2001.^[2]

In 2002, Southwell was appointed by the Roman Catholic Church to investigate accusations of sexual abuse against Archbishop George Pell.^[3][4]

See also

• Judiciary of Australia
• List of judges of the Supreme Court of Victoria
• Southwell inquiry
• Victorian Bar Association

References

1. "Obituary - The Honourable Alec James Southwell QC". Victorian Bar. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
2. Shiel, Fergus (22 August 2002). "Inquiry head no stranger to accusations against clergy". The Age. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
3. Southwell QC, Hon Alex (14 October 2002). Report of an Inquiry into an allegation of sexual abuse against Archbishop George Pell (Report). National Committee for Professional Standards (Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference). Archived from the original on 20 October 2002.
4. Burke, Kelly (15 October 2002). "Exonerated, not forgotten". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 July 2017.