Nzdf Welcomes Appointment Of Court Martial Judges

09 February 2012

The New Zealand Defence Force welcomes the appointment of Judge Anne Gaskell and Judge Philip Hall as Judges of the Court Martial.

The Court Martial of New Zealand has the jurisdiction to try charges against personnel subject to the Armed Forces Discipline Act 1971. The Court Martial also sits to hear and determine other applications, such as bail applications.

Judge Anne Gaskell has worked as both a staff solicitor and an associate at Luke, Cunningham and Clere, between 1981 and 1986, where she specialised in prosecutions for the Crown in both summary and jury trial jurisdictions.

In 1986 Judge Gaskell joined Phillips Shayle-George as a staff solicitor, becoming a partner a year later, and specialising in civil litigation in the High and District Courts. She has also been a member of the Crown Prosecutors panel.

Judge Gaskell was appointed as a District Court Judge with a jury warrant in 1989, and since retiring in 2005 has held an acting warrant. As a Judge, she has chaired both the Copyright Tribunal (1991-2001) and the Rimutaka Prison Board (1991 -1994), and was Executive Judge for Wellington (1993-1995).

Judge Philip Hall practises in all areas of criminal litigation in both the District and High Courts and the appellate courts, and has also conducted litigation in tribunals.

Judge Hall has been a member of the Crown Solicitors’ Panel since 1990, and a barrister sole since 1998. He has previously worked for the Christchurch firms of Lane Neave, and was a former partner of Wood Marshall and its predecessor firms.

Both Judges were sworn in on November 23, 2011.

ENDS