The Lord Chancellor has approved the reappointment of Richard Wright KC as a non-judicial member of the Sentencing Council with special expertise in criminal defence.

The reappointment is for 3 years from 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2028.   

The Sentencing Council for England and Wales was set up in April 2010 to promote greater transparency and consistency in sentencing, while maintaining the independence of the judiciary.

The primary role of the council is to issue guidelines on sentencing, which the courts must follow unless it is in the interests of justice not to do so. The council consists of judicial and non-judicial members with specialist knowledge of particular aspects of the criminal justice system.

The appointment of non-judicial members of the Sentencing Council is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and recruitment processes comply with the Cabinet Office Governance Code on Public Appointments.

Biography

Richard Wright was called to the Bar in 1998 and took silk in 2013. He has practised from 6 Park Square in Leeds since, 1998, where he has been Head of Chambers since 2013.

Specialising in murder and manslaughter cases, Richard has prosecuted and defended in some of the highest profile cases across the North of England.

Since 2020 he has been Leader of the North Eastern Circuit; leading the professions’ response to the Covid-19 emergency and, in 2022, he was invited to join the legal team of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.

Richard Wright was appointed Deputy District Judge (Magistrates’ Courts) in 2006, Recorder of the Crown Court in 2012 and Deputy High Court Judge in January 2023. He has been a non-judicial member of the Sentencing Council since 1 August 2022 with experience of criminal defence.