Graham Cox
Encyclopedia
Sheriff Principal
Graham Cox, QC is a former Sheriff Principal of South Strathclyde, Dumfries and Galloway; Sheriff
of Tayside, Central and Fife, Scotland; and Member of Council, The Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges Association.
; the Grove Academy
school and at the University of Edinburgh
.
from 1956–1961 and attaining the rank of Major in the Directorate of Army Legal Services, Graham Cox was called to the Bar
in 1962 and served as an Advocate
-depute from 1966-1968, in which year he was appointed Sheriff
of Tayside, Central and Fife, at Dundee, a post he held until 1993 when he was appointed Queen’s Counsel and Sheriff Principal
of South Strathclyde, Dumfries and Galloway (1993-2000). It was during his term of office that the suspects arrested regarding the Lockerbie air disaster appeared before him on the 6 April 1999 at a make-shift Scottish court at Kamp Van Zeist, The Netherlands; this court appearance starting off the subsequent legal proceedings in the trial of suspects.
Cox served as Secretary of the Sheriffs' Association from 1987 to 1991 and as President from 1991 to 1993. Other appointments have included, Hon. Vice-President of the Scottish Association for the Study of Delinquency and Vice-Chairman, Northern Lighthouse Board
. In 1991, Graham Cox was appointed a member of Council, the The Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges Association, a post he has held twice, 1991-94 and again, 1997-2000; and in 2001 he took up the appointment as Chairman of the Adoption Policy Advisory Group.
Sheriff Principal
The office of sheriff principal is unique within the judicial structure of Scotland, and it cannot therefore readily be compared with any other judicial office. It is one of great antiquity, having existed continuously since around the 11th century...
Graham Cox, QC is a former Sheriff Principal of South Strathclyde, Dumfries and Galloway; Sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of Tayside, Central and Fife, Scotland; and Member of Council, The Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges Association.
Education
Graham London Cox was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne on the 22 December 1933 and received his education at the former Hamilton AcademyHamilton Academy
Hamilton Academy was a school situated in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland.Described as "one of the finest schools in Scotland" in the Cambridge University Press County Biography of 1910, Hamilton Academy featured in the Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association Magazine article series on...
; the Grove Academy
Grove Academy
Grove Academy is a secondary school in Broughty Ferry, Dundee. One of the most academically achieving schools in Scotland, Grove Academy enrolls approximately 1500 pupils, the majority of which are from Forthill, Eastern, and Barnhill primary schools...
school and at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
.
Career
Serving in the British ArmyBritish Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
from 1956–1961 and attaining the rank of Major in the Directorate of Army Legal Services, Graham Cox was called to the Bar
Call to the bar
The Call to the Bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party, and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received a "call to the bar"...
in 1962 and served as an Advocate
Advocate
An advocate is a term for a professional lawyer used in several different legal systems. These include Scotland, South Africa, India, Scandinavian jurisdictions, Israel, and the British Crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man...
-depute from 1966-1968, in which year he was appointed Sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of Tayside, Central and Fife, at Dundee, a post he held until 1993 when he was appointed Queen’s Counsel and Sheriff Principal
Sheriff Principal
The office of sheriff principal is unique within the judicial structure of Scotland, and it cannot therefore readily be compared with any other judicial office. It is one of great antiquity, having existed continuously since around the 11th century...
of South Strathclyde, Dumfries and Galloway (1993-2000). It was during his term of office that the suspects arrested regarding the Lockerbie air disaster appeared before him on the 6 April 1999 at a make-shift Scottish court at Kamp Van Zeist, The Netherlands; this court appearance starting off the subsequent legal proceedings in the trial of suspects.
Cox served as Secretary of the Sheriffs' Association from 1987 to 1991 and as President from 1991 to 1993. Other appointments have included, Hon. Vice-President of the Scottish Association for the Study of Delinquency and Vice-Chairman, Northern Lighthouse Board
Northern Lighthouse Board
The Northern Lighthouse Board is the General Lighthouse Authority for Scotland and the Isle of Man. It is a non-departmental public body responsible for marine navigation aids around coastal areas.-History:...
. In 1991, Graham Cox was appointed a member of Council, the The Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges Association, a post he has held twice, 1991-94 and again, 1997-2000; and in 2001 he took up the appointment as Chairman of the Adoption Policy Advisory Group.