John Harber Phillips
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The Honourable John Harber Phillips AC QC |
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|---|---|
| Chief Justice of Victoria | |
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In office 1991–2003 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
18 October 1933 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Died | 7 August 2009 (aged 75) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
John Harber Phillips, AC, QC (18 October 1933 – 7 August 2009) was an Australian barrister and an author. He was a judge and also a Chief Justice of Victoria. He was the legal counsel who defended Lindy Chamberlain on a charge of murdering her baby Azaria. His skills as counsel were described as being that of a "very elegant street fighter, swift and deceptive". He was the first Director of Public Prosecutions for Victoria and was also a Director of the National Crime Authority.
Phillips was born on 18 October 1933 in Melbourne to parents Anthony Michael and Ivy Muriel Phillips. He attended Presentation Convent and De La Salle College, Malvern and then undertook his tertiary education at the University of Melbourne where he obtained a LLB degree. He undertook his legal articles at the firm of Dooley & Breen solicitors. He was called to the Victorian Bar in 1959 and read with Victor Belson. He became a Member of the Victorian Bar Council in 1974 and continued to be a member of that Council until 1984. He also served as chairman of the Victorian Criminal Bar Association. He became a Queen's Counsel in 1975 and then a member of Middle Temple at the English Bar in 1979.
In 1982 he was engaged to defend Lindy Chamberlain against a charge of murdering her daughter, Azaria. His co-counsel Andrew Kirkham in the trial remarked that Phillips was "one of the best trial lawyers in the country". Phillips was unable to convince the jury of Chamberlain's innocence. As a result of the trial, he lobbied Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett for the introduction of an independent forensics institute in Victoria. His lobbying efforts were successful, although he put down his success as being able to ask Kennett shortly after his elevation to Premier. Phillips went on to become the Chairman of the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine at its inception in 1985, subsequently the National Institute of Forensic Science at its inception in 1992.
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