0By Sara Oliver

MAGISTRATE Keith Berry well remembers the day an unkempt, down-and-out man appeared before him in court on driving offences.

The bench treated the defendant leniently and let him off with a paltry fine, only to discover hours later he was a multi-millionaire.

This month, Mr Berry, who lives in Bradford on Avon, retires after 25 years as a magistrate.

He will step down at the age of 70 and as the oldest magistrate in the country.

He said: "I will certainly miss it. I have enjoyed all the years, it has been a fascinating time. You see all walks of life."

Mr Berry leaves at a time when the future of the Trowbridge magistrates court looks bleak, after it was condemned for not coming up to the latest human rights standards.

Prisoners are now no longer brought to Trowbridge but taken instead to the purpose-built court at Chippenham.

Mr Berry, who is chairman of the North West Wiltshire bench, believes it is only a matter of time before the Trowbridge court

closes.

He said: "We have had to transfer cases at the last minute, and some families who have already travelled a long way have not been able to afford to go to Chippenham.

"My own, personal view is that Trowbridge will close because there is an over-provision of court rooms. Eventually there will be just Chippenham and Salisbury, with a new courthouse in Salisbury.

"It is a pity because it's not local justice."

Mr Berry, a former headteacher, began his career as a magistrate in northeast London.

He moved to Wiltshire to take up the post of headteacher at John of Gaunt School, in Trowbridge, and joined the Bradford on Avon bench.

He was appointed chairman of the west Wiltshire bench and then became chairman of the North West Wiltshire bench when the two merged in January this year.

Mr Berry, who is married to Mabel and has two grown-up sons, plans to spend his retirement finishing his fourth book, based on education, and enjoying his hobbies.