This is the man who sent a man to jail for raping his wife, when that was not a crime at the time i.e. 1991.

The case was immediately referred to the European Court of Human Rights (titled R v. the UK). The judges in Strasbourg considered, only by a small majority, that the case was not a violation of R's human rights (i.e. not to be convicted of an action which was not an offence at the time). Dissenting judges did not agree with the decision. So the UK 'got off with a warning' on this occasion.

Our objection to Keith's action is that he decided, without reference to The People, that he could change the law, when he had no mandate from The People or Parliament. He had indeed sent a man to jail for something that was not a crime at the time i.e. he retrospectively changed the law.

Acknowledgement : extract of obituary from The Daily Telegraph 27 June 2002.