Nigel Jones, Baron Jones of Cheltenham

Early life

Nigel Jones attended Prince Henry's Grammar School on Victoria Avenue in Evesham.

After leaving school, Jones worked as a computer operator for Westminster Bank from 1965 to 1967, and then as a computer programmer at International Computers Limited (ICL) from 1967 to 1970. From 1970 to 1971, he worked as a systems analyst at Vehicle and General Insurance and as a systems programmer at Atkins Computing, before rejoined ICL as a project manager in 1971.

From 1989, Jones was a councillor at Gloucestershire County Council. He resigned from both ICL and Gloucestershire County Council in 1992, when he was elected to Parliament.

Parliamentary career

Jones was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Cheltenham in the 1992 general election, winning the seat from the Conservative Party. He had previously contested the seat unsuccessfully at the 1979 general election.

Jones was a member of the public accounts committee from 2002 to 2005. He was also the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for a number of topics, including local government (1992 to 1993), sport science and technology (1993), consumer affairs (1995 to 1997), sport and culture (1997 to 1999), trade and industry (1997 to 1999) and international development (1999).

Jones retained the seat until standing down at the 2005 general election.

Attack

On 28 January 2000, Robert Ashman entered Jones's constituency office and attacked him and his assistant, local councillor Andrew Pennington, with a katana, a Samurai sword. As a result of the attack, Pennington was killed and Jones was severely injured. Jones required 57 stitches to close wounds to his hand from the assault.

Jones had written a character reference for Ashman when Ashman was nearly jailed after breaking the ribs of a tax collector in 1992. After the attack at Jones's office, Ashman was charged with manslaughter and attempted murder, but the jury at his trial found him to be mentally unfit to stand trial. Subsequently detained in Broadmoor for observation, the Home Office authorised a further trial in September 2002. Ashman was subsequently found guilty of attempted murder and admitted to Pennington's manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility in 2003.

Pennington was posthumously awarded the George Medal for his attempts to protect Jones.

Peerage

On 13 May 2005, it was announced that Jones would be created a life peer, and he was subsequently elevated to the peerage on 20 June 2005 as Baron Jones of Cheltenham, of Cheltenham in the County of Gloucestershire. As well as many outside interests, he acts as a non-executive consultant for Barlow Frith Communications, a Buckinghamshire-based public relations consultancy.

Personal life

Jones married Katherine Grinnell in 1981 at the British Embassy, Abu Dhabi. They have a son, Sam, and twin daughters, Amy and Lucy.