John Leckey’s Retirement: A tribute from the Chairman

​On Wednesday the 7th October Gerry McAlinden QC, Chairman of the Bar Council, attended the retirement celebrations of Mr John Leckey in Laganside Crown Court.

Gerry McAlinden QC paid this tribute,

“Since Mr Leckey’s appointment as Coroner in 1984 I have regularly appeared in front of him and have always been deeply impressed by his fearless, patient and tireless quest for the truth, scrupulous fairness, ability to master scientific and technical detail and above all his humanity, humility and kindness towards Next of Kin, witnesses (both lay and expert), Court Service staff and legal representatives.

Mr Leckey’s career as Coroner in Northern Ireland has spanned some of the worst of times in the history of this Jurisdiction. As a prominent judicial figure he and his family were subject to terrorist threat as Mr Leckey presided over investigations into deaths resulting from acts of barbarism that seem almost unimaginable now.

This small and once bitterly divided society owes him a great debt of gratitude because through tireless efforts,coupled with his matchless forensic expertise, Mr Leckey demonstrated that, irrespective of the circumstances of a death and regardless of the background or affiliation of the Deceased, each death would be rigorously investigated with scrupulous fairness, and so helped restore trust in our judicial structures and repair the tears in the fabric of our strife ridden society.

You retirement leaves an unfillable void in our judicial landscape. On my own behalf and on behalf of the Bar of Northern Ireland I wish you a long, happy and productive retirement.”