SALISBURY'S resident Crown Court judge and the city's honorary recorder, Judge David Maclaren Webster QC, is retiring in April after nearly 40 years on the Bench.

Judge Maclaren Webster (64) officially retires on April 4, while sitting at Winchester Crown Court - but, last Friday, colleagues and friends in Salisbury had the opportunity to wish him a happy retirement on his final day at Salisbury Crown Court.

The popular judge became the city's resident judge not long after becoming a circuit judge in 1987 and divided his time between crown courts in Winchester and Salisbury.

In March 2001, he was made honorary recorder for Salisbury in a historic ceremony in the Guildhall led by the late Beryl Jay, who was then chairman of Salisbury district council.

The honour, which is a personal title to Judge Maclaren Webster, revived a centuries-old tradition of Salisbury having its own recorder.

Retirement will allow the judge to spend more time on his hobbies, which include the theatre, sailing, watching cricket and reading Scottish literature.