John Halpern
 John Halpern a.k.a. 'Paul' from The Guardian Punk and Mudd was born in Cuckfield Sussex UK in 1967 and is a cryptic crossword compiler for newspapers including The Guardian The Independent The Times and The Financial Times.Halpern's interest in The Guardian cryptic crossword puzzle began when he was a student in Canterbury and he wondered if the compilers could possibly be human beings.