MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falkland Islands new Chief Justice appointed

On instructions from the Secretary of State, His Excellency the Governor formally appointed His Lordship Christopher Gardner QC as Chief Justice of the Falkland Islands on Monday 21 May 2007. Mr Gardner was sworn in by Acting Governor Mahala Wynns in the Turks and Caicos Islands on 22 May.

Mr Gardner has served as Chief Justice in the Turks and Caicos Islands (British West Indies) since November 2004 and will be returning to London later this year. He replaces James Wood as Chief Justice of the Falklands, who was appointed in September 1998 following the death of Sir Renn Davis. Mr Gardner was educated at Rossall School, Lancashire, and Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. He was called to the Bar by Gray's Inn and was appointed a Recorder of the Crown Court in 1993 and Queen's Counsel in 1994. He was Head of Lamb Chambers, Middle Temple, London, from 1998 until 2004, when he was appointed Chief Justice of the Turks and Caicos Islands, British West Indies. He is a Chartered Arbitrator, Accredited Mediator and a Fellow of the Society of Advanced Legal Studies and of the Royal Society of Medicine. He lives with his wife, Arlene, in Cheriton, Hampshire. His hobbies are swimming, golf, boating, the bard, ballet and cooking curries. His Excellency the Governor commented: "I am very pleased to have appointed Christopher Gardner QC to serve as Chief Justice of the Falkland Islands. He comes with a fine reputation from the Turks and Caicos Islands, which is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean, and he has had a distinguished legal career in London. I take this opportunity also publicly to thank James Wood for his distinguished service as our Chief Justice since 1998 and also as Senior Magistrate before then - and wish him well for the future. He has served the Falklands well."