Her Honour Wendy Joseph KC; Rough Justice: Do we have the law we deserve?

What is justice? Do our legal courts dispense it? Has our judicial process improved, for the victims, the accused and for society? What more must be done to ensure genuine justice is carried out in future?

Her Honour Wendy Joseph KC examines four gripping trials she presided over and excavates matching historical cases of murder and intrigue. But, as she compares these modern courtroom tales with eerily similar cases and miscarriages of justice from years ago, might the most chilling story of all be that the lessons of the past have yet to be learned?

From the trial of a child charged with disposing of dismembered body parts, to the woman accused of killing her own husband, Joseph is utterly compelling as she sets out how our justice system works. Incisive and masterfully crafted, Rough Justice illuminates the struggles of any one of us caught up in our legal system – but particularly the marginalized and the easily exploited, so often women and girls – and grapples with the concept of ‘justice for all’ so that we might demand better.

Until March 2022 Her Honour Wendy Joseph KC was a judge at the Old Bailey, sitting on criminal cases, trying mainly allegations of murder and other homicide. She read English and Law at Cambridge, was called to the Bar by Gray’s Inn in 1975, became a QC in 1998 and sat as a full-time judge from 2007 to 2022. When she moved to the Old Bailey in 2012 she was the only woman amongst sixteen judges, and only the third woman ever to hold a permanent position there. She was also a Diversity and Community Relations Judge, working to promote understanding between the judiciary and many different sectors of our community, particularly those from less privileged and minority groups. She mentors young people, from a variety of backgrounds, who hope for a career in law and has a special interest in helping women. Her first book, Unlawful Killings, won the Crime Writer’s Association ‘Gold Dagger’ for Non-fiction and was a Sunday Times bestseller

‘Joseph is such a deft deployer of suspense and nuance that she turns even the Sentencing Act 2020 schedule 21 into a cliff hanger.’ Kathryn Hughes, The Sunday Times

Interviewing Wendy at this event we are very pleased to welcome Karen Daber. Karen retired from policing at the rank of Assistant Chief Constable. She was a senior leader and influencer in policing, with extensive operational and strategic experience. In 2023 she was headhunted by the College of Policing to lead the National Police Integrity Programmed for England and Wales, developing and delivering the national Code of Ethics for policing in 2014. Since retiring Karen has retained an active and diverse professional portfolio. She is director of her own coaching company K Vanterpool Consultancy and is actively involved in coaching, mentoring and leadership development in the public and third sectors. She is also a Deputy Lord lieutenant in Cambridgeshire.

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