Sir Denys Roberts | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 20thChief Justice of Hong Kong | |
| In office 1979–1988 | |
| Preceded by | Geoffrey Briggs |
| Succeeded by | Ti-liang Yang |
| 25thChief Secretary of Hong Kong (Colonial Secretary 1973–76) | |
| In office 30 September 1973 – 2 October 1978 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor | Murray MacLehose |
| Preceded by | Hugh Norman-Walker |
| Succeeded by | Jack Cater |
| 18thAttorney General of Hong Kong | |
| In office 3 September 1966 – 29 September 1973 | |
| Preceded by | Maurice Heenan |
| Succeeded by | John William Dixon Hobley |
| 2ndChief Justice of Brunei | |
| In office 1979–2001 | |
| Nominated by | Hassanal Bolkiah |
| Preceded by | Geoffrey Briggs |
| Succeeded by | Mohammed Saied |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1923-01-19)19 January 1923 London, United Kingdom |
| Died | 20 May 2013(2013-05-20) (aged 90) Norfolk, United Kingdom |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Wadham College, Oxford (MA;BCL) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch/service |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1943–1946 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | Royal Artillery |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Sir Denys Tudor Emil RobertsKBESPMBQC (Traditional Chinese: 羅弼時爵士; 19 January 1923 – 20 May 2013) was a British colonial official and judge. Joining the colonial civil service as aCrown Counsel inNyasaland (nowMalawi) in 1953, he becameAttorney General of Gibraltar in 1960. In 1962, he was posted to Hong Kong asSolicitor-General, and was successively promoted toAttorney-General in 1966,Colonial Secretary/Chief Secretary in 1973 andChief Justice in 1979. He was the first and only Attorney-General to become both Colonial Secretary (and Chief Secretary) in Hong Kong. Never having been a judge before, he was appointed asChief Justice of the Supreme Court in 1979 and was the first and only Colonial Secretary (and Chief Secretary) of Hong Kong to receive such appointment.[2][3]
Roberts was the last non-Chinese person to hold the post of Chief Justice of Hong Kong. After retiring in 1988, he had served as President of theCourt of Appeal ofBermuda, Chief Justice and President ofCourt of Appeal ofBrunei Darussalam before finally retiring from the judicial service in 2003.
Roberts was born on 19 January 1923 in London, England, to William David Roberts, a barrister-at-law, and Dorothy Elizabeth Roberts. He was educated inAldenham School in his childhood, and later studied law inWadham College, Oxford in 1942. His education was interrupted when he was commissioned as asecond lieutenant in theRoyal Artillery on 2 November 1943.[4] During theSecond World War, he served in France,Belgium, theNetherlands and Germany, and achieved the rank ofcaptain.[5] He was posted to India when the war ended in 1945.[6]
After the war, Roberts retired from the army in 1946 and resumed his interrupted education in Oxford. He obtained hisMaster of Arts degree in 1948,Bachelor of Civil Law degree in 1949, and was made an honorary fellow of Wadham College in 1984.[5] He playedcricket forHertfordshire in the 1948Minor Counties Championship, playing a single match againstBedfordshire.[7][8]
Roberts was called to the bar byLincoln's Inn. In 1950, he began his career as abarrister-at-law based in London, but it was discontinued when he joined the colonial civil service in 1953 as a Crown Counsel in Nyasaland (nowMalawi).[5] In 1960, he was promoted to Attorney-General of Gibraltar and became anex officio member of both Executive and Legislative Councils of Gibraltar. In the same year, he was appointed anOfficer of the Order of the British Empire in theNew Year Honours,[9] and made aQueen's Counsel of Gibraltar on 20 June.[10]
Roberts served for only two years, which was much shorter than his predecessors, and was posted out of Gibraltar in 1962. According to hismemoir, he reckoned that the reason was probably because he offended theGovernor in a military parade where he shouted openly at the Governor'saide-de-camp for the poor arrangement of the event.[11]
In 1962, Roberts was sent to Hong Kong as Solicitor General and was made a Queen's Counsel of Hong Kong on 8 September 1964.[12] He was appointed Attorney-General by thenGovernorSir David Trench in 1966 and becameex officio member of bothExecutive andLegislative Councils of Hong Kong, promotedCommander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1970 New Year Honours,[13] and was appointedColonial Secretary, succeedingSir Hugh Norman-Walker, by GovernorSir Murray MacLehose in 1973. Roberts was the first and only Attorney-General to become Colonial Secretary in the history of Hong Kong. He continued to hold the position when Colonial Secretary was renamed Chief Secretary in 1976.
During his tenure as Colonial Secretary and Chief Secretary, Roberts assisted MacLehose to implement a wide range of policies from political reform to housing development. He paid particular attention to trade development and visited a number of places, including the United States and Latin America, to promote trade relations.[14] In the 1975Queen's Birthday Honours, Roberts was promotedKnight Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his public services.[15] In 1979, he chaired an investigation to look into the aftermath of the fraud scandal ofGolden Jubilee Secondary School.[16] Roberts was acting Governor for a number of occasions when the Governor was absent.
In 1979, Roberts was appointed Chief Justice of Hong Kong. His appointment aroused a brief sensation as he had never been a judge and was the first and only Chief Secretary to become Chief Justice in Hong Kong. His background as an experienced former colonial Attorney-General was the government's justification for his suitability.
Besides becoming Chief Justice of Hong Kong, Roberts was appointed honorary bencher of Lincoln's Inn in 1978. From 1979 to 2001, he also served as Chief Justice of Brunei Darussalam and was made a Dato by the royal house of Brunei Darussalam in 1984.[5] In his capacity as Chief Justice of Hong Kong, Roberts paid visits tomainland China twice. He was the first Chief Justice to visit People's Republic of China when he visitedCanton, Shanghai and Beijing in 1983 under an individual invitation by the Chinese Government. In 1985, he visited China again along with other Hong Kong judges and toured Beijing andXi'an.[17] Roberts witnessed the opening of the newSupreme Court Building (now High Court Building) at 38Queensway in 1984.
ExcludingSir Noel Power, who was acting Chief Justice from 1996 to 1997, Roberts was the last non-Chinese to hold the post of Chief Justice of Hong Kong. When he retired in 1988, his successor,Sir Ti-liang Yang, became the first Chinese Chief Justice in the colonial history of Hong Kong. Customarily, the Chief Justice of Hong Kong would resign the post of Chief Justice of Brunei Darussalam when he retired. This practice was, however, formally ended in 1993 and Sir Ti-liang Yang was appointed President of the Court of Appeal of Brunei in 1988, instead of Chief Justice of Brunei.[18] Accordingly, Roberts continued to serve as Chief Justice of Brunei Darussalam after his retirement and became President of the Court of Appeal of Bermuda from 1988 to 1994. After standing down as Chief Justice of Brunei Darussalam in 2001, he became President of the Court of Appeal of Brunei Darussalam until. From 1997 to 2003, he was one of the non-permanent Hong Kong judges of theHong Kong Court of Final Appeal.[5]
Roberts was married to Brenda Marsh in 1949. The couple had one son and one daughter. The marriage ended in divorce in 1973. In 1985, he married Anna Fiona Dollar Alexander, with whom he had a son.[5]
Roberts was a keen cricketer. He took part in theMinor Counties Championship representing Hertfordshire in 1948. He was president ofMarylebone Cricket Club (MCC) from 1989 to 1990. He was also a member of theRoyal Commonwealth Society and wrote a number of books and stories on law and colonial life.[5] He published hismemoir,Another Disaster, in 2006, in which he recounted his life in the colonies.
Roberts lived in retirement inNorfolk, England, where he spent his time writing.[5]
He died, aged 90, on 20 May 2013.[19] A memorial service was held for him at the Lincoln's Inn Chapel on 12 November that year.David Wilson, theGovernor of Hong Kong when Roberts was Chief Justice, delivered an address.[20]
The Sir Denys Roberts Squash Courts (羅弼時爵士壁球場), located atYuen Long,New Territories, Hong Kong, were named in his honour.
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong 1973–1976 | Succeeded by Himself as Chief Secretary of Hong Kong |
| Preceded by Himself as Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong | Chief Secretary of Hong Kong 1976–1979 | Succeeded by |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by | Attorney General of Hong Kong 1966–1973 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief Justice of Hong Kong 1979–1988 | Succeeded by |
| Chief Justice of Brunei 1979–2001 | Succeeded by | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
