JUDGE Andrew Geddes, who retired four months ago after 15 years at Worcester Crown Court, has died at his holiday home in France at the age of 66.

Tribute to his work was paid at the court yesterday by Judge Alistair McCreath, Recorder of Worcester, in front of a gathering of fellow judges, barristers, solicitors and court staff.

Judge McCreath said your Worcester News was correct when it reported “a fond farewell to a popular judge” on his retirement in March.

It was a bitter irony that his passing had been marked in open court in the presence of so many colleagues. Judge Geddes was a modest man and would have been embarrassed by such a gathering. Instead, he had preferred to mark his retirement by hosting an informal reception in the court building with his wife Bridget.

Born in London, Judge Geddes gained his degree at Oxford University and was called to the bar in 1972 at the age of 29. He was made a recorder in 1990 and a circuit judge in 1994. He was authorised to sit as a High Court judge the following year.

Judge McCreath said Judge Geddes tried civil and criminal cases with skill and had the trust and confidence of juries in many a trial. He was a family man and he and his wife, whose home is in the Cotswolds, have seven children. He was also a talented musician, specialising with the piano and clarinet. On behalf of the Bar, Mr Gareth Evans QC praised Judge Geddes for his forthright approach to cases. If he felt a witness was lying, he would call him a liar. He could find no evidence of appeals against his judgements.

Judge Geddes was an expert on European law.