Lord Justice Leveson was appointed by David Cameron on Wednesday to lead the new inquiry into phone hacking. Leveson is currently chairman of the Sentencing Council and a judge in the Court of Appeal. He is best known as the lead prosecutor in the case of Rose West, Britain's most prolific female serial killer and for his controversial defence of a ruling to only fine a man £50 for burning poppies during an Armistice Day event.
Leveson was educated at Oxford, after which he became a barrister in 1970. He initially practised in Liverpool, embracing crime and commercial work. He was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1986 and climbed up the judicial ladder, sitting as a recorder and then a deputy high court judge. He joined the Court of Appeal in 2006.
There is pre-existing tension between Leveson and The Sun. In March this year, the paper launched a campaign against Leveson and other judges for being soft on crime.