John Royce

{{Short description|British High Court judge}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

Sir Roger John Royce (born 27 August 1944), styled The Hon. Mr Justice Royce, was a judge of the High Court of England and Wales.{{Cite web|title=The Hon Mr Justice Royce's Biography |work=Debrett's|url=http://www.debretts.com/people/biographies/browse/r/8090/%28Roger%29%20John%20Royce+ROYCE.aspx|accessdate=13 July 2011}}{{Cite web|title=Senior judiciary |work=Judiciary of England and Wales |url=http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/about-the-judiciary/judges-magistrates-and-tribunal-judges/list-of-members-of-the-judiciary/senior-judiciary-list |accessdate=13 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20120803031806/http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/about-the-judiciary/judges-magistrates-and-tribunal-judges/list-of-members-of-the-judiciary/senior-judiciary-list |archivedate=3 August 2012 }}

Born in Virginia Water, Surrey, he attended The Leys School and Trinity Hall, Cambridge. He was awarded Blue at Cambridge for field hockey, and later captained the Somerset county hockey team.{{Cite web|title=UWE awards honorary degree to Sir John Royce|date=14 November 2005|work=University of the West of England|accessdate=13 July 2011|url=http://info.uwe.ac.uk/news/UWENews/news.aspx?id=734}} In 1970 he was called to the Bar, Gray's Inn, and appointed as QC in 1987.

He presided over the 2009 Plymouth child abuse trial, and sentenced the defendants to Indeterminate Public Protection prison terms, intended to protect the public against criminals regarded as too dangerous to be released when their original sentence has finished. In 2013, he presided over the trial of former Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins, who was sentenced to 29 years in prison with a further 6 years on extended licence after admitting to the attempted rape of a baby boy and 12 other offences.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-25412675|title=Lostprophets' Ian Watkins sentenced to 35 years over child sex offences|date=2013-12-18|work=BBC Online|accessdate=18 December 2013}}