Panel biographies

Sir William Morris OJ

Sir Bill was born in Jamaica, arriving in Birmingham, England in 1954 and working his way through the ranks of the Transport and General Workers’ Union to be elected as Britain’s first black General Secretary in 1991 and 1995. He retired from that post in October 2003.

He is continuing his public role in a variety of ways including:

Member, Employment Appeals Tribunal
Non-Executive Director, Bank of England
Member, Commission for Integrated Transport
Chancellor, University of Technology, Jamaica
Member, Board of Governors, South Bank University
Member, Architects Registration Board
Patron of a number of charities including The National Black Boys Can Association

Other appointments in the past have included:

Member of the Royal Commission on the Reform of the House of Lords.
Member of the Commission for Racial Equality.
Member, General Advisory Council, Independent Broadcasting Authority.
Member, BBC Advisory Authority.
Member, Economic and Social Affairs Committee of the European Union.
Trustee, Prince of Wales Youth Business Trust

He has received honorary degrees and Fellowships from a number of universities and is a Trustee of the Open University Foundation.

In October 2002 Bill Morris was awarded the Order of Jamaica by the Jamaican Government for services to international trade unionism.

In November 2003 he received a Knighthood in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

Sir Anthony Burden, OSTJ, QPM, CCMI, Bsc (Hons)

Sir Anthony was Chief Constable, South Wales Police from 1996 until the end of 2003 when he retired. As Chief Constable, he was responsible for 5,000 officers and staff policing an area with a population of 1.3 million which includes Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. He had previously been Chief Constable of Gwent Constabulary from 1994. Prior to this he had served for twenty years in Wiltshire Constabulary, his last position being Detective Chief Superintendent in charge of Criminal Investigation Department and in 1989 he transferred to West Mercia Constabulary as Assistant Chief Constable and was subsequently appointed Deputy Chief Constable.

He was elected and served in the position of the President of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) from October 2000 to October 2001.

During his career he had responsibility for race and community relations issues, equality and several operational matters dealing with police use of firearms and firearms licensing. He also implemented procedures to send U.K. police officers to take part in the United Nations peacekeeping duties abroad. Sir Anthony has served as a Co-Director of Extended Interviews for the Police High Potential Development Scheme and Police Chief Officer Selection Scheme. He has also served as Chairman of the Police Athletic Association and is a Vice President of the Police Mutual Assurance Society and a Trustee of the British Police Symphony Orchestra.

He holds a B.Sc. (Hons) Degree in Social Sciences and in 1995 received the Queen’s Police Medal for distinguished service in the New Year’s Honours List. He is also a Brother Officer in the Order of St. John and in 2002 was made a Companion of the Chartered Management Institute.

He received a knighthood in the New Year’s Honours List 2002.

Sir Anthony is married with three children.

Anesta Weekes QC

Anesta Weekes was called to Bar in 1981 and took silk in 1999. She was appointed a Bencher of Gray’s Inn in Summer of 2003.

As a Barrister and as Queens Counsel her main area of practice is Criminal law. She defends in all forms of criminal trials and sometimes acts on behalf of the CPS.

She sits as a part-time Chair of the Employment Tribunals and also as an Arbitrator of the Commonwealth Secretariat Arbitral Tribunal.

Highlights of her distinguished career includes:

Counsel to the Stephen Lawrence inquiry.
Member of the Governments Review committee on Gambling.
Representing convicted persons on capital cases before the Privy Council and before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. (Re: Dixon March 1999).

She holds the following appointments:

Assistant Recorder in 1999, Recorder in 2000.
Part-time Chairman of Employment Tribunals.

From 2000 to 2003 she was Vice-Chair of the Bar Council’s Equal Opportunities Committee.

In 1999 she was The Times Runner-up Woman of the Year.

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	Archive note Important note: This is an archive of the website that was formerly at www.morrisinquiry.gov.uk. It is being hosted on the MPA website for archival purposes only and may contain out-of-date information. Page summary This resource from the About section of the Morris Inquiry website contains biographies of the Inquiry panel members. Sections available here: Panel biographies Sir William Morris OJ Sir Anthony Burden, OSTJ, QPM, CCMI, Bsc (Hons) Anesta Weekes QC Content Panel biographies Sir William Morris OJ Sir Bill was born in Jamaica, arriving in Birmingham, England in 1954 and working his way through the ranks of the Transport and General Workers’ Union to be elected as Britain’s first black General Secretary in 1991 and 1995. He retired from that post in October 2003. He is continuing his public role in a variety of ways including: Member, Employment Appeals Tribunal Non-Executive Director, Bank of England Member, Commission for Integrated Transport Chancellor, University of Technology, Jamaica Member, Board of Governors, South Bank University Member, Architects Registration Board Patron of a number of charities including The National Black Boys Can Association Other appointments in the past have included: Member of the Royal Commission on the Reform of the House of Lords. Member of the Commission for Racial Equality. Member, General Advisory Council, Independent Broadcasting Authority. Member, BBC Advisory Authority. Member, Economic and Social Affairs Committee of the European Union. Trustee, Prince of Wales Youth Business Trust He has received honorary degrees and Fellowships from a number of universities and is a Trustee of the Open University Foundation. In October 2002 Bill Morris was awarded the Order of Jamaica by the Jamaican Government for services to international trade unionism. In November 2003 he received a Knighthood in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List. Sir Anthony Burden, OSTJ, QPM, CCMI, Bsc (Hons) Sir Anthony was Chief Constable, South Wales Police from 1996 until the end of 2003 when he retired. As Chief Constable, he was responsible for 5,000 officers and staff policing an area with a population of 1.3 million which includes Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. He had previously been Chief Constable of Gwent Constabulary from 1994. Prior to this he had served for twenty years in Wiltshire Constabulary, his last position being Detective Chief Superintendent in charge of Criminal Investigation Department and in 1989 he transferred to West Mercia Constabulary as Assistant Chief Constable and was subsequently appointed Deputy Chief Constable. He was elected and served in the position of the President of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) from October 2000 to October 2001. During his career he had responsibility for race and community relations issues, equality and several operational matters dealing with police use of firearms and firearms licensing. He also implemented procedures to send U.K. police officers to take part in the United Nations peacekeeping duties abroad. Sir Anthony has served as a Co-Director of Extended Interviews for the Police High Potential Development Scheme and Police Chief Officer Selection Scheme. He has also served as Chairman of the Police Athletic Association and is a Vice President of the Police Mutual Assurance Society and a Trustee of the British Police Symphony Orchestra. He holds a B.Sc. (Hons) Degree in Social Sciences and in 1995 received the Queen’s Police Medal for distinguished service in the New Year’s Honours List. He is also a Brother Officer in the Order of St. John and in 2002 was made a Companion of the Chartered Management Institute. He received a knighthood in the New Year’s Honours List 2002. Sir Anthony is married with three children. Anesta Weekes QC Anesta Weekes was called to Bar in 1981 and took silk in 1999. She was appointed a Bencher of Gray’s Inn in Summer of 2003. As a Barrister and as Queens Counsel her main area of practice is Criminal law. She defends in all forms of criminal trials and sometimes acts on behalf of the CPS. She sits as a part-time Chair of the Employment Tribunals and also as an Arbitrator of the Commonwealth Secretariat Arbitral Tribunal. Highlights of her distinguished career includes: Counsel to the Stephen Lawrence inquiry. Member of the Governments Review committee on Gambling. Representing convicted persons on capital cases before the Privy Council and before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. (Re: Dixon March 1999). She holds the following appointments: Assistant Recorder in 1999, Recorder in 2000. Part-time Chairman of Employment Tribunals. From 2000 to 2003 she was Vice-Chair of the Bar Council’s Equal Opportunities Committee. In 1999 she was The Times Runner-up Woman of the Year. Internal links In this section: Terms of reference The Inquiry's terms of reference and commissioning brief introduce the aims and role of the Inquiry. Protocol The protocol indicates how the Inquiry will conduct its business. Confidentiality & anonymity Information about submitting evidence to the Inquiry where it is wished that the evidence remains confidential and/or anonymous. How to contribute to the Inquiry This section contains details of how to submit written evidence to the Inquiry. Biographies Biographies of the Inquiry panel members. Translations Details about how to get hold of information in languages other than English. The Inquiry Team A photograph of the Morris Inquiry Team. The Inquiry room A photograph of the room where hearings take place.

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