KEITH MATTHEWMANTributes have been paid to "courageous" former judge Keith Matthewman QC, who died on 23 December, 2008.
Mr Matthewman, 72, of Beeston near Nottingham, is believed to have suffered a heart attack.
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 2 August.
Educated at Long Eaton Grammar School and University College, London, Mr Matthewman became a barrister in the early 1960s after working as a teacher in Heanor, Derbys.
He became a judge in 1983 and in 1993 he jailed a man for 56 days for twice falling asleep in the public gallery at Nottingham Crown Court and making an obscene remark when ordered to leave. The man had initially been jailed for 28 days – but had the sentence doubled when he responded by saying "Peace, man."
Narvel Annable is the author of Judge Matthewman's biography A Judge Too Far, published in 2001. The pair first met at William Howitt Secondary Modern in Heanor, where Mr Matthewman taught, but became close friends during the production of the book.
Mr Annable recalled the first time he met Mr Matthewman.
"He came in when our regular teacher was away once, and he obviously had this group of adolescent boys who he wanted to keep entertained, and he started to tell us all about chastity belts!"
Summing him up, he said: "He was courageous, he said what needed to be said over and over again – even if that angered his colleagues and fellow judges sometimes. He never wanted to show a weak side but was very warm and very loyal.
"He never wavered when it came to friendship or help."
Matt Goode, of Nottingham solicitors Bhatia Best, said: "Whenever I had a client going before Judge Matthewman I always had a fear a harsh sentence would be handed down but the reality was his bark was worse than his bite."
Anna Soubry, former TV presenter and now a barrister and Conservative parliamentary candidate, said: "I knew Keith not just as a judge but also as a politician.
"When he retired he became actively involved in politics. He became a barrister and QC at quite a young age and had to make a choice between politics and the law.
"He was a very courageous man. He said what he thought and got himself into terrible trouble. I didn't always agree with him. I'm terribly upset about his death."
Mr Matthewman founded and was president of The Friends of the Galleries of Justice Association, whose members worked to promote the Galleries and, on occasions, carried out voluntary work in the Galleries until it folded in December 2007.
He left a son Adrian.
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