Roger Scott

He sat at Bradford Crown Court for nearly 10 years where he was known for his high standards, making scathing attacks on any inefficiency, particularly in the Crown Prosecution Service. He also once criticised Customs officials for their "incompetence and negligence" after overstepping the time for bringing a confiscation of assets case, forcing him to allow a drugs baron to keep his ill-gotten gains.

He was highly respected by all who knew him, and worked extremely hard to reduce a big backlog of cases at the court.

He was one of the more colourful characters on the North East Circuit, some said eccentric, but as the Recorder of Bradford, Judge James Stewart QC, said on his retirement last September he was strong, fair and decisive, without "an ounce of pomposity in him".

Judge Scott was born in Lancashire, the son of a very successful businessman, but the family moved to Morley, Leeds, where he was brought up.

He was educated at Mill Hill School, North London, and St Andrews University. While there he married Diana Clark in 1966.

He was called to the Bar in 1968 and practised from St Paul's Chambers in Leeds. He became a Recorder in 1989 and in 1993 he was appointed as a judge on the North East Circuit, sitting firstly in Teesside and then at Bradford Crown Court where he was one of the judges who dealt with the cases in the aftermath of the Bradford riots of 2001.

Judge Scott, who lived in the Harrogate area, was a familiar sight outside Bradford Crown Court exercising his dachshunds Charlie and Millie who accompanied him to court each day.

He was highly regarded by fellow judges, barristers and even local criminals. On one occasion, a woman fondly patted the dogs before proudly telling passers-by that Judge Scott had jailed her several months earlier.

Police dogs, too, had cause to be grateful to him. When one apprehended a burglar, Judge Scott commended the animal and ordered that it should be bought a box of Bonio from public funds.

He was a stickler for punctuality and for court etiquette. If a barrister's mobile phone rang in court they would promptly be "fined" a donation to charity.

He was a member of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, and a keen supporter of Leeds United, at one time going to all their home matches. His friend of many years, Judge Peter Benson, said he died just before his club was promoted.

When he retired Judge Scott announced to the gathering to mark the occasion that he had already begun learning Mandarin Chinese, and he was going to be a taxi driver. He took up the language so he could talk to one of his two sons – both of whom are solicitors in London – who is fluent in it.

He did get his private hire licence and it was his intention to understudy a woman in his village who provided transport for local people.

Judge Scott is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter, and four grandchildren.