Former county judge Northcote dies
Wednesday 1st July 2009, 12:04PM BST.
A former judge who lived and worked in Shropshire has died, aged 87.
Tributes have been paid to Peter Northcote, who was a judge at Shrewsbury Crown Court before he retired in 1989, although he continued in the position in a part-time role after this.
Court staff, barristers and judges yesterday all spoke of Mr Northcote.
Judge Robin Onions said he had been a circuit judge who later became the resident judge at Shrewsbury. He had lived and worked in the county and had been a “sensible and pragmatic” judge and a very pleasant man.
Mr Northcote lived in Wroxeter for many years before moving to Wellington when he retired.
Judge Onions said Mr Northcote’s private life had been touched by tragedy twice through the loss of his sons, Robin and Michael, who both died in their 40s.
He said Mr Northcote’s wife, Pat, had died in recent years and he was survived by a granddaughter, who lives in France. Judge Onions added: “Peter was a link to a legal landscape which is now long gone.”
Michael Mander took over from Mr Northcote and was a judge at the crown court from 1989 to 2001. He said he had been a pupil of Mr Northcote’s.
“I started off life as a solicitor and I was Peter’s pupil as a barrister so I have a very close link with him,” he said. “He was a very fine judge and was extremely widely respected by everybody including those who appeared in front of him.”
Shropshire Star on Twitter
Keep updated with the latest breaking news and content on our Twitter feed.
Lifestyle
Interactive Dining Out map
Hundreds of reviews by the Shropshire Star and Express & Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.
Entertainment
All the film reviews
Before you plan a trip to the pictures, get our critics' verdicts on all the latest movie releases.
OUR NEW APP
Get the new Shropshire Star app
Download the Shropshire Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.
shropshirestar.com
Popular sections
Useful links
Peter Northcote was well respected both as a judge and as a person. He was often seen at a pub near ironbridge where he would take off his jacket and vamp on the piano for coachloads of pensioners in a singalong.
I appeared before him as a police officer and he was very direct and no nonsense. great respect and consolation to his family
Report abuse
Peter was also the founder – 50 years ago – and Patron of the Long Mynd Adventure Camp near Church Stretton, helping under privileged children from Shropshire and the Midlands. He was a no nonsense guy and his presence and support will be greatly missed by us all.
Report abuse
Oh! that Judges these days were like Peter Northcote. I remember a case many, many years ago when he had a young PC before him in the Shirehall in Shrewsbury. The case was an open and shut one of burglary by a persistent offender who Judge Northcote knew very well. The defence barrister was “scratting” around on a very weak case and he gave the PC a very hard time as his only means of attack. The offender was found guilty. The prosecution jumped up and told the PC to read out only the last three convictions of the offender.
Peter Northcote angrily interjected, saying, Mr … I have sat here and heard the most outrageous attacks on this officer in order to defend this man, he has rightly been found guilty. Now Officer read out every single last one of his previous convictions. The officer spent the next twenty minutes reading page after page of previous convictions.
Peter Northcote said, “now we can see what we are dealing with”. He sentenced the man to two and a half years in prison and the court gasped, all the man had stolen after breaking into a property was an empty wine bottle which he wanted to make into a lamp. The man lived on crime, always pleaded not guilty, always made allegations against Police procedures and on this occasion he came unstuck. We need men like Judge Northcote these days.
In 1968 for various reasons, I had many dealings with Peter Northcote when he lived in Shrewsbury. He was of the old legal school who one had a natural respect for.
That same year, together with Bill Williams, a Police Sergeant from Shrewsbury who ran it for many years, we took some 35 kids from the backstreets of Birmingham to Church Stretton for the annual camp. I was not aware that Peter Northcote had anything to do with it but I am not surprised if he did.
I knew him and his son well, the world is much poorer for his going.
Report abuse