Sir Hamilton John Leonard (28 April 1926 – 10 August 2002) was an English barrister and High Court judge.
[2][5] His Telegraph obituary describes him as a "shrewd prosecutor and deadly cross-examiner", adding that his style was "fair and understated, precise rather than flamboyant.
[2][3][5] He was appointed successively deputy chair of the Surrey quarter sessions (1969–71), recorder (1972–78), circuit judge (1978) and Common Serjeant of London (1979).
[2][5] His Telegraph obituary said that he showed "all the hallmarks of a good judge: humanity, understanding, patience, tolerance – and firmness when needed.
"[5] He is best known for presiding at the trial of the Ealing vicarage case in 1987, a burglary in which two of the criminals raped Jill Saward at knifepoint; her father and another man were also seriously assaulted.
[5] As a High Court judge, Leonard also presided over the initial trial of Kiranjit Ahluwalia for the murder of her husband, a conviction later overturned.
[2] Outside court as a barrister he chaired the Criminal Bar Association, advised the Home Secretary on restricted patients (1973–79), and served on the Judicial Studies Board, as well as on a committee that reviewed the obscenity and censorship laws.