FORMER Notts judge Keith Matthewman QC has died. Mr Matthewman, 72, of Beeston passed away at the Queen's medical centre, in the early hours of today. One of the best known faces in the county's legal system, Mr Matthewman's death follows that of his wife, Jane, who was also 72, on August 2. He leaves behind a son Adrian, 40, who works as a pilot for Monarch airlines. Anna Soubry, Conservative parliamentary candidate for Broxtowe, said: 'He was a very courageous man.'
From DAVID NEGUS: Keith was about a decade ahead of me at LEGS so I never knew him in that context, but inevitably our paths crossed from time to time in the local legal profession, although it was really only after my career path took me away from the criminal law where Keith specialised that I discovered we shared our alma mater. As a barrister he was always pleasant and approachable, which I afterwards put down to the civilising influence of his mixed Grammar School education, whereas most members of his Chambers generally displayed the pomposity of their Public School upbringings for which the Bar is often sadly noted. It was something of a surprise to me therefore that when he became a Judge he had something of a reputation for 'hard' sentencing, but I guess a firm view of 'right' and 'wrong', and an unquestioning acceptance that rules are there to be kept is something we all imbibed unconsciously from our LEGS years.
FORMER Notts judge Keith Matthewman QC has died.
Mr Matthewman, 72, of Beeston passed away at the Queen's medical centre, in the early hours of today.
One of the best known faces in the county's legal system, Mr Matthewman's death follows that of his wife, Jane, who was also 72, on August 2.
He leaves behind a son Adrian, 40, who works as a pilot for Monarch airlines.
Anna Soubry, Conservative parliamentary candidate for Broxtowe, said: 'He was a very courageous man.'
From DAVID NEGUS: Keith was about a decade ahead of me at LEGS so I never knew him in that context, but inevitably our paths crossed from time to time in the local legal profession, although it was really only after my career path took me away from the criminal law where Keith specialised that I discovered we shared our alma mater. As a barrister he was always pleasant and approachable, which I afterwards put down to the civilising influence of his mixed Grammar School education, whereas most members of his Chambers generally displayed the pomposity of their Public School upbringings for which the Bar is often sadly noted. It was something of a surprise to me therefore that when he became a Judge he had something of a reputation for 'hard' sentencing, but I guess a firm view of 'right' and 'wrong', and an unquestioning acceptance that rules are there to be kept is something we all imbibed unconsciously from our LEGS years.