Obituary - James Scott, long-serving sheriff

Died: January 30, 2018

JAMES Scott, who has died aged 70, was a true man o’pairts - long-serving sheriff, Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Naval Reserve, criminal defence advocate, musician, mountain rescue team member and enthusiastic Russophile. He was also a police officer, procurator fiscal, karate exponent and aficionado of Malaysian food. While someone who knew his own mind, he was also an appreciated team player, as demonstrated both on the bench and at sea.

A sheriff for almost 20 years, having been appointed in 1997, he served mostly in Dundee and Edinburgh, retiring from full-time duties in 2014. Thereafter he continued to sit part-time, mostly in the north east, till September 2017. By his own admission he was not a fan of civil litigation but enjoyed the criminal courts, especially jury trials, which were his forte. This was to be expected as prior to being appointed sheriff he had spent nine years in practice as a criminal defence advocate.

As such, he enjoyed a good reputation as an able and doughty representative of his clients, well respected by all. This was a reputation he took to the bench where he was considered capable, courteous and fair. His occasionally straightforward manner reflected his down-to-earth approach, lack of pretentiousness and his widely varying life experiences.

If the law provided his livelihood, the Royal Naval Reserve was his passion. From the time he presented himself in 1977 at HMS Graham near Princes Dock, Govan, as a rookie, he fell in love with the sea and naval service. Having been encouraged to join up by his then boss, Mr. Mackinnon, Procurator Fiscal at Paisley and a retired Lieutenant Commander of the R.N.V.R., he did so at the same time as five colleagues who would remain lifelong friends and each attain the rank of Lieutenant Commander.

While all were keen and enthusiastic, it was acknowledged that Jim was the keenest of them all. At every opportunity he was seabound at weekends, often sleeping on the floor if necessary.

The Reserve’s main duties centred round training to support the Navy’s minesweeping capability in case of war. This involved weekly training and weekend coastal water sailing in the Firth of Clyde, with Islay and Campbeltown regular destinations.

Exercises took him and colleagues further afield to Germany, Norway, France, Sicily and the Mediterranean, some of which were held with NATO. During the Troubles in Northern Ireland, he linked up with Royal Navy minesweeper HMS Brinton on three patrols, thereafter being awarded the General Service Medal.

After 1985 when the new River Class minesweeper was introduced, he was promoted to Lieutenant Commander, the highest seagoing rank possible and a source of much satisfaction.

When in about 1995 minesweepers were replaced by minehunters, he and others were effectively made redundant from the service which caused considerable upset. His subsequent battles with depression were thought to be linked, given it was an integral part of his life.

Born James Peterkin Scott in Inverness to James and Marion, he was the third of five children and brought up in the town’s Dalneith and Culduthel areas. A bright youngster he entered the top stream at Inverness Royal Academy where he showed talent at art and enjoyed sport. He played the drums in school musicals having learned in the Boys’ Brigade, sang in a folk group and liked hillwalking.

At 16 he wanted to join the Army but lack of necessary parental consent foiled that. His father, a travelling salesman with Wolsey, the textile company, arranged a trainee manager’s course placement for him with them at Leicester where he shared accommodation with Malaysian students, hence his culinary tastes. When the course was scrapped, he returned north to join the police, serving in Stonehaven and the surrounding area.

Having passed his sergeant’s exams, he applied successfully to join the Met as a detective but instead of heading south he attended college in Aberdeen to obtain A levels before studying law at Aberdeen University. While there, he obtained a brown belt at karate and was a member of the local mountain rescue team, regularly attending in the Cairngorms on duty. For his own recreation, he also frequently walked and climbed there, 15 mile hikes on a weekend being commonplace. He was also active in organising student social events.

After graduating, he served an apprenticeship with Anderson, Shaw and Gilbert, solicitors in Inverness. Once qualified, he joined the Procurator Fiscal service, initially as a depute in Glasgow and then Paisley, where he was encouraged to go to the Bar. In 1988 he became a member of the Faculty of Advocates and thereafter a sheriff.

While on the bench in Dundee he met visiting Russian law professors who were here to study the Scottish criminal jury system for research purposes. A good friendship was established which led to Jim becoming fascinated by all things Russian. He developed a deep interest in its language, and culture which resulted in his visiting the country several times to lecture in Archangel, St Petersburg and Krasnoyarsk.

His marriage to Marie, during which daughters Rebecca and Naomi were born, ended in divorce a few years ago though they remained good friends and he was devoted to his daughters whose children, Thorfinn and Lizzie, brought much joy back to his life.

JACK DAVIDSON