Dougie Wilson

A Barnsley man, he started his life in newspapers on the Barnsley Chronicle and over the next two decades took his talents to the Morecambe Advertiser and the Peterborough Evening Standard.

He arrived in Leeds to work for the Government news network, then known as the Central Office of Information, but sorely missed newspapers and went to work for the Dewsbury Reporter before joining the Yorkshire Evening Post, first at its Wakefield office and then in Leeds.

Mr Wilson was a cornerstone to the professional court reporting of the Yorkshire Evening Post for many years working on high- profile cases including that of the spy Nicholas Prager and
the bribing millionaire John Poulson.

He was modest man, respected, admired and liked by his fellow journalists, police, court officials and judges.

Long time colleague Tony Harney said: “Dougie was great to work with.

“He was a fine shorthand writer, a lightning quick reporter and very accurate.

“He taught a lot of younger journalists the high standards he set himself.”

In his younger years, Mr Wilson was a fine footballer and cricketer and played snooker for the Ossett Cricket Club team.

The funeral will be held on Wednesday, March 20, at Kettlethorpe Crematorium, Wakefield, at 1pm.