A former policeman who gave up catching criminals will now be sentencing them at Inverness Sheriff Court.
Sheriff Chris Dickson, 43, was installed at the north’s largest court yesterday.
He will preside in the Highland capital and from January will sit also on the bench at Tain and Lochmaddy.
A married man with two children, Sheriff Dickson intends to move his family north to the Highlands where he hopes to remain long term.
His law career began with Leicester Police where he served as a detective sergeant before leaving to pursue a career as a lawyer.
Latterly he was a solicitor advocate dealing with both civil and criminal cases at Edinburgh firm Anderson Strathearn, although he had a brief spell as an advocate depute.
He was welcomed to the Grampian, Highlands and Islands Sheriffdom by Sheriff Principal Derek Pyle, who said Sheriff Dickson was “hugely experienced and much sought after by other courts”.
Fiscal Andrew Laing spoke on behalf of the Crown Office before Inverness solicitor Marc Dickson also welcomed the new sheriff on behalf of the Inverness faculty.
Sheriff Dickson said: “I am honoured to be appointed to this court. One of the most significant moments in my life came in this sheriffdom at Shetland Sheriff Court, which doubles as the registry office.
“It managed to squeeze in my wedding.
“I will seek to apply the law fairly and accurately, maintaining the high level of judicial decision making which is displayed by my colleagues.”
