Sir Richard John Pearson Aikens, 77, a retired High Court judge, who was a Lord Justice of Appeal between 2008 and 2015, has taken to the witness stand at Southwark Crown Court, giving evidence at the trial of tax barrister Robert Venables.
In a trial which has been ongoing for nearly five weeks now, Venables has been accused of paying ‘almost £2m less tax than he should have done’, a claim he has repeatedly denied.
Calling the former High Court judge to the witness box, the defence began by walking the jury through the former judge’s experience and position, and how he came to know Venables.
Defence barrister, Stuart Biggs KC of Cloth Fair Chambers, explained that in 1999 Aikens was appointed to the High Court of Justice, where he received a knighthood, going onto preside in the Commercial and Admiralty Courts from 1999 to 2008, and the Commercial Court in 2005.
