James Pickles

James Pickles (18 March 1925 – 18 December 2010) was an English barrister and circuit judge and who later became a tabloid newspaper columnist. He became known for his controversial sentencing decisions and press statements. His obituaries variously described him as forthright, colourful, and outspoken.

Pickles was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire. His father Arthur Pickles was an architect and surveyor who became a property developer, and later a Liberal member of the Halifax Town Council and ultimately Mayor of Halifax. His father's family were also involved in building and masonry: his great-grandfather worked on the construction of the Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand in London. His uncle was the radio presenter Wilfred Pickles.

He suffered a severe burn to his right hand when young, and learned to write and play tennis and squash with his left hand. He was educated at local primary schools, a prep school and then at Worksop College in Nottinghamshire. His hand injury made him exempt from military service in the Second World War, and he read law at Leeds University and Christ Church, Oxford. He graduated in the second class in 1947 and was called to the bar at the Inner Temple in 1948.

He married Sheila Ratcliffe in August 1948. They had two sons, Roger and Simon Pickles, and daughter, Carolyn Pickles, who became an actress. She appeared in Emmerdale on television and most recently in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1. His sister, Christina Pickles, is also an actress, most famous for her role as a nurse in the hospital drama St. Elsewhere and for playing the mother of Ross and Monica in the sitcom Friends, both of which won her Emmy nominations. His wife died in 1995, and he was survived by his three children.

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