Gordon Morison

Died: March 8, 2016

GORDON Morison, who has died of cancer aged 71, was a popular and well-liked macer at the High Court in Glasgow for more than 20 years. Besides being the judge’s right hand man, a macer was historically expected to protect a judge with his mace, but Mr Morison always approached the role with humour and was known for sometimes making his tannoy announcements in different accents. In 2008, though, he made the headlines for tackling and capturing a convicted killer after he fled the dock – at the time Mr Morison was 63 years old and the fleeing murderer he chased and caught was a fit 29-year-old serving soldier.

The incident happened on June 20, 2008 just seconds after the trial judge Lord Hardie deferred sentence on Michael Ross for reports and ordered him to be remanded in custody. Ross, a sergeant in the Black Watch, had just been found guilty of murdering 26-year-old Shamsuddin Mahmood by shooting him in the head at close range in an Indian restaurant in Orkney in 1994. After sentence, Ross moved towards the stairs which lead down to the cells. Then without warning he vaulted the dock into the well of the court and pulled open the door beside the jury box.

Mr Morison immediately gave chase and as Ross opened the two doors which would have led him to an alarmed exit door, caught him in a rugby tackle. Police officers who had run out of the main court door arrived and handcuffed Ross. Mr Morison suffered a small cut to his left eyebrow.

Mr Morison was praised for his actions by trial judge Lord Hardie and at the time the macer said his actions had been instinctive. "I just ran after him and caught him," he said. "I don't know what possessed me.”

He was highly regarded by all who worked at the High Court in Glasgow for his sense of fun, ready wit and warmth. The court deals with the most awful crimes day in and day out and Mr Morison realised that those who work there need a bit of humour. He would often make tannoy announcements in a Northern Irish accent or Welsh accent until in these increasingly politically correct days he was asked to stop.

At his funeral, advocate Tony Graham, who knew him for 20 years, said Mr Morison had brought a sense of fun and cheer to his work every day. “That is something that never changed. It was something I saw 20 plus years ago when first I met Gordon when he was in fullest of health as the resident macer in the High Court annexe in Ingram Street, and something that was still obviously there on the last occasion I saw him shortly before he died.”

Mr Graham added: “On sunny days you would approach Glasgow High Court to see Gordon sitting on the wall outside around the planter, as much foutering with his pipe as puffing upon it. Whilst, on one view, the cynic might say that with the dark reactolite specs, those enormous eyebrows, and expertly groomed ‘tache he looked like a 1980s East London villain, or alternatively Terry Thomas’ stunt double, I prefer to think on Gordon sitting there as akin to the landed squire preparing to welcome guests to his house. And in a sense he was, because for years Gordon really had been Mr Saltmarket. He always promoted the dignity of the High Court.”

Prior to becoming a macer, Mr Morison had worked for many years as a sales rep for Typhoo.

While his work and sense of fun were things he guarded dearly, the most important part of Gordon’s life was his family. He would talk about them daily and everyone at the court always knew what they were up to.

He is survived by Sandie, his son Gordon and his partner Zoe, granddaughter Jodie, step-daughter Susan, her husband John and step grandson Sam.