Grenville Cross was the first DPP to be appointed after the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong on 1 July 1997, and the appointment signalled that suitably qualified expatriates who were committed to Hong Kong still had a role to play in government in the post-colonial era.
24 Facts About Grenville Cross
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Grenville Cross was educated privately at Culford School, Suffolk, England, where he chaired the Debating Society.
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Grenville Cross read for the Bar at the College of Law, Chancery Lane, London EC4.
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Grenville Cross was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1974 by the Middle Temple, of which he was a Blackstone Entrance Exhibitioner, and was admitted in 1981 to the Bar of Hong Kong.
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Grenville Cross practised on the South Eastern Circuit of England and Wales, from the chambers of Jeffrey Thomas, QC, MP, at No 3 Temple Gardens, London, EC4, from 1974 to 1976.
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Grenville Cross was then appointed an in-house prosecutor by HM Customs and Excise Department for England and Wales, from 1976 to 1978.
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Grenville Cross joined the Attorney General's Chambers of Hong Kong as Crown Counsel in 1978.
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Grenville Cross conducted twelve appeals before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council between 1988 and 1997, and, after the transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong, he prosecuted six appeals before the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal, which replaced the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council as Hong Kong's ultimate appellate body on 1 July 1997.
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Grenville Cross was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1990, becoming Senior Counsel in 1997, following the transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong.
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From 1999 to 2010, Grenville Cross served as an Official Justice of the Peace.
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Grenville Cross led his Office into the International Association of Prosecutors in 2001 and hosted key conferences in 2004 and 2007 on drug offenses and prosecutorial transparency.
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Grenville Cross was awarded the Silver Bauhinia Star in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day Honours List 2010.
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Grenville Cross is currently active in the International Association of Prosecutors, of which he is a Senator-for-Life, and chairs its Standing Committee on Prosecutors in Difficulty.
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Grenville Cross is an honorary consultant to the Child Protection Institute of Against Child Abuse, of which he has been the patron since 2018.
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Grenville Cross joined the Council and Court of the University of Hong Kong on 1 December 2021.
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Grenville Cross's leadership was further acknowledged on 8 April 2022, when he was appointed chairman of the university's Discrimination Complaints Committee and Staff Grievances Panel.
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Grenville Cross's expertise was sought in the political realm, as he was appointed to the 90-member advisory Presidium for John Lee Ka-chiu's campaign for HKSAR Chief Executive on 20 April 2022.
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Grenville Cross contends that Jimmy Lai's prosecution is not politically motivated but based on legitimate legal grounds related to national security, emphasizing that free speech is constitutionally protected but not absolute.
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Grenville Cross criticizes foreign commentary, particularly from UK officials, as misinformed and urges a more accurate understanding of Hong Kong's legal environment.
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Grenville Cross is the co-author of Sentencing in Hong Kong, now in its eleventh edition.
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Grenville Cross is the Sentencing Editor of Archbold Criminal Pleading, Evidence and Practice.
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Grenville Cross serves on the editorial board of Hong Kong Cases.
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Grenville Cross was previously General Editor of the Criminal Appeals Bulletin, and Consultant Editor of Hong Kong Law Reports and Digest.
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Grenville Cross is a regular opinion columnist for China Daily and South China Morning Post.