Alaric Dalziel

Whether his words in the first draft subsequently ended up in any final legal document at his then commercial chambers in London, is not now known but it was certainly a fine after-dinner story.

The son of of a Scottish GP in practice in the South East of England he was educated at Eastbourne College, and had a love of the sea, being both an oarsman and sailor.

He also played for many years in the front row for Saracens Rugby Club, his friends remember him losing many of his teeth in the process.

Called to the Bar in 1967, he initially joined chambers at 2 Harcourt Buildings in London before later moving north to Pearl Chambers in Leeds, now Park Lane Plowden.

His then head of chambers, later to become High Court Judge Sir Christopher Holland QC was among lawyers and friends at Leeds Crown Court yesterday when tributes were paid to Mr Dalziel.

His practice included civil, criminal and commercial law and he sat as a Recorder principally in Teesside and Newcastle.

He also sat as a Boundary Commissioner.

Judge John Cockroft described Mr Dalziel as an excellent advocate and remembered a trial when an alleged drugs courier from Bridlington was being cross-examined by him about his claim to be an innocent dupe.

The man maintained he had picked up his load of sacks of sand from near Huddersfield and had no idea who had hidden the drugs onboard.

Mr Dalziel said wrily: "Correct me if I am wrong, I know I am new to these parts, but isn't there an awful lot of sand in Bridlington?"

Judge Cockroft, a long time friend of Mr Dalziel, said he always knew as he went by the chambers building when he was in his room from the white smoke from his pipe billowing outside through a specially

installed flue "as if from a successful papal conclave".

The prospective smoking ban at work probably contributed to his decision to retire from the Bar in 2002 and spend more time with his wife Liz in Burton Leonard, near Harrogate, and devoting time to her family soft furnishing business.

Stuart Brown QC, the current head of Park Lane Plowden, said he had been a popular and invaluable colleague and support in chambers who took to his new life in soft furnishing and linens with gusto while always remaining, he added, a "superb lunch companion".