Helenus Milmo



Sir Helenus Patrick Joseph Milmo (1908–1988) was a British lawyer and High Court judge. His career was notable for his role in the prosecution team at the Nuremberg Trials.

Of Irish descent, he was the grandson of Patrick Milmo, son of Darby and Kathleen Milmo of Lissaneena, County Sligo. Patrick Milmo emigrated to Monterrey, Mexico in 1857 and, known as Don Patricio, he became one of the wealthiest men in that country. Helenus Milmo attended Downside School and Trinity College, Cambridge. He went on to become a barrister, becoming a QC in 1961.

Career
During World War II, Milmo was a member of MI5. During this period, he acquired the nickname "Buster" which some sources claim was due to his success as an interrogator. He continued to be referred to by this name by colleagues in his subsequent legal career.

Having previously worked to Kim Philby, Milmo was chosen to investigate Philby in 1951, when that agent's treachery became suspected but Milmo failed to elicit definitive answers. and concluded “that Philby is and has been for many years a Soviet agent. But the case remained unproven.” Milmo's peers were not entirely forgiving. "Some felt", wrote Peter Carter-Ruck when Milmo died in 1988, "that he was perhaps too much of a gentleman for that daunting task".

Family
Milmo's sons are journalist Sean Milmo and barrister Patrick Milmo QC. Two of his grandchildren, Cahal and Daniel Milmo, are also journalists. Another grandchild is British politician and Labour Member of Parliament Chuka Umunna.