Esteemed tribunal judge 'shocked' by surprise send-off after retiring

Deputy regional judge Donald Agnew retired from his role at Havant Justice Centre after being there since 2002.

Judge Agnew, who sat on residential property disputes covering the south of England, praised those he worked with for their steadfast attempts to ‘do justice in a difficult world’ during his goodbye speech to members past and present who gathered in the tribunal court to pay tribute to him.

Judge Agnew, who became a vice president and deputy regional tribunal judge in 2009, said: ‘This is a total surprise – I’m overwhelmed and in shock. I didn’t realise there would be an occasion like this.

‘I would like to thank you all so much for coming. It’s good to see you all, as well as a lot of old faces.

‘It’s been a pleasure. The last few years have been the best of my career and it is all because of the staff here and members of the tribunal who I have sat with.

‘Everyone is trying to do justice in a difficult world and I thank you all very much for all the comradeship.’

The judge said there had been ‘a lot of changes’ since his first sitting in 2002, especially in terms of jurisdiction and with more cases now being transferred from the county court.

Amusing anecdotes from cases over the years brought laughter to the room as judge Agnew called time on his role – although he will still sit intermittently on cases.

Speaking of the reduced role, judge Agnew added: ‘I’ll miss the comradeship as I will be on my own a lot more and won’t have the day-to-day involvement.’

Heartfelt speeches from colleagues paid tribute to judge Agnew’s career and the personal attributes he brought to the tribunal.

President of the tribunal, judge Siobhan McGrath, said: ‘It’s been a great pleasure to work alongside you. You are held in great affection and respect by people here.

‘You are known for your calm and gentle manner, although you have a fist of steel and the heart of a lion.’