John Ainley
Sir Alfred John Ainley MC (10 May 1906 – 19 January 1992) was a British colonial judge, who served as Chief Justice of the Eastern Region of Nigeria, of Sarawak, North Borneo and Brunei, and of Kenya.
Biography
[edit]He was born in England and educated at St Bees School, Cumbria and Corpus Christi College, Oxford.[1]
He became a Magistrate in the Gold Coast in 1935. During the second World War he served as a lieutenant in the Gold Coast Regiment, active in the African theatre, and was awarded the Military Cross in 1941[2] for leading his platoon under fire in an attack against an enemy armoured vehicle. He personally threw grenades at it eventually forcing its capture.[3]
After the war he was appointed a Puisne Judge in Uganda (1945 to 1955), before spending a term as Chief Justice of the Eastern Region of Nigeria. He was knighted for his services in 1957.[4][1]
In 1959 he was appointed Chief Justice of the United Judiciary of Sarawak, North Borneo and Brunei but then transferred back to Africa in 1963 to be Chief Justice of Kenya just prior to Kenyan independence in 1964, thereby becoming the first Chief Justice of the independent country.[5][6]
During his time in Kenya he was notable for sentencing Kisilu Mutua to death for conspiring in the murder of Pio Gama Pinto, a journalist and freedom fighter. The sentence was later commuted to 35 years imprisonment.[7]
He retired in 1968 and moved to live with his wife Mona Sybil in Watermillock, Cumbria.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Biographical register 1880-1974. p. 293.
- ^ "Recommendation for Award for Ainley, Alfred John Rank: Lieutenant Regiment:". The National Archives. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
- ^ Archives, The National. "The National Archives". The National Archives. Retrieved 2019-10-24.
- ^ Who's Who in East Africa. p. 3.
- ^ "No. 41885". The London Gazette. 4 December 1959. p. 7675.
- ^ "No. 42888". The London Gazette. 8 January 1963. p. 243.
- ^ "Chief Justice of Kenya". Archived from the original on March 16, 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Cumberland and Westmorland Herald Oct 4th 2015".
- 1906 births
- People educated at St Bees School
- Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Oxford
- Recipients of the Military Cross
- Chief justices of Kenya
- Knights Bachelor
- 1992 deaths
- Gold Coast (British colony) judges
- British Borneo judges
- Uganda Protectorate judges
- British Kenya judges
- Colonial Nigeria judges
- British judges on the courts of Kenya
- Sarawak, North Borneo and Brunei judges
- British Army personnel of World War II
- Royal West African Frontier Force officers