Bradford’s top judge is retiring, ending his distinguished career where it began – in his beloved home city. Judge James Stewart QC, the Recorder of Bradford, was sitting for the final time at Bradford Crown Court today. Here, he exclusively tells Crime Reporter Steve Wright about his near half a century in the legal profession.

Judge James Stewart QC has a simple but apt way of describing his time as the Recorder of Bradford – “I have loved it.”

Born and brought up in the Chellow Dene area of Bradford and initially educated at Thornville Junior School, Judge Stewart described his appointment as the Honorary Recorder of Bradford, in October 2009, as “a big honour”.

“I very much feel that I am a Bradfordian,” he said.

To make the occasion more poignant, Judge Stewart, 68, was appointed the Recorder while seated in a chair dedicated to his father, Henry Hamilton Stewart, a world-renowned surgeon based in Bradford who was made a Freeman of the City.

Judge Stewart was called to the Bar in 1966 and practiced as a barrister in Bradford for 16 years before being made a Queen’s Counsel and moving to London. But he maintained strong links with West Yorkshire and headed a barristers chambers in Leeds for seven years.

He was involved in many high-profile cases, mainly as a defence lawyer, but also prosecuting many murder trials.

He was a defence counsel in the Stephen Lawrence murder case, the Strangeways riot murder trial, the shooting of West Yorkshire police officer Sergeant John Speed, the Bradford prostitute murderer George Naylor and the Zorah Shah arsenic poisoning case.

He was made a recorder – part-time judge – in 1982, a Deputy High Court judge in 1993 and became a full-time Circuit Judge, able to try the most serious cases such as murder, in 2002.

Judge Stewart was due to retire next year, but brought it forward on health grounds.

He said: “I retire reluctantly. I was loving the job and I hope I was doing it well.

“I have loved being in charge at Bradford. It is a beautiful courthouse, the staff are absolutely wonderful and there is a good atmosphere.”

Judge Stewart said at one stage, Bradford was dealing with more murder cases than anywhere on the North Eastern Circuit, but that was no longer the case.

He added that problems with the charging and running of cases by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had improved. But he said the CPS sometimes accepted pleas to lesser offences without realising the consequences for the powers of the judge to pass an appropriate sentence.

He said: “I believe they are making a genuine effort to get better. I have monthly meetings with the head of the CPS where we discuss things that have gone wrong. I think the standards in Bradford have got a lot higher.”

Judge Stewart said he agreed with the Sentencing Guidelines Council, but said there should be new offences such as causing grievous bodily harm, or causing actual bodily harm, by dangerous driving, to cover cases where casualties suffer permanent injury.

And he said he had never agreed with the introduction of indeterminate sentences for public protection (IPPs).

A retirement ceremony for Judge Stewart will take place at Bradford Crown Court on Friday.