Tributes have been paid to a former Bermuda Court of Appeal judge who died at the age of 73.

Sir Charles Mantell was a member of the court from January 2005 until he stepped down in 2009 for health reasons.

He worked on a number of high-profile local cases including that of paedophile former Policeman John White who sexually abused young boys. White successfully got his 25-year sentence cut to 18 years on appeal in 2005.

Sir Charles was also involved in the 'Goldeneye' case in 2006 an appeal by the owners of a $45 million Tucker's Town house who challenged Government's policy banning Bermudians selling homes to foreigners.

The appeals panel did not have to decide the case in the end as a Government U-turn part way through the case gave the green light for the property to be marketed internationally.

In 2007, Sir Charles served on the appeal panel that quashed the murder conviction of Karim Salahuddin for killing his baby daughter, and replaced it with one of manslaughter, slashing his life sentence to one of ten years.

Paying tribute to Sir Charles, Chief Justice Richard Ground said the judiciary of Bermuda was saddened to learn of his passing. "His work on the Court of Appeal here was greatly respected by both the Bar and the Bench. He had a firm but kindly manner, and appellants appearing before him were assured of a proper hearing and a fair outcome," he said.

"The judges and all the staff of the Supreme Court join with me in expressing our condolences to his widow, Lady Mantell."

Sir Charles was an English judge who had a distinguished career. He became a Queen's Counsel in 1979; served as a member of the Supreme Court of Hong Kong from 1982 to 1985; was appointed to the bench of the High Court of England and Wales in 1990 and to the Court of Appeal in 1997.

As senior presiding judge on the Western Circuit in 1995 he tried the case of English serial killer Rosemary West. She is believed to have collaborated in the murders with her husband, Fred West, who hanged himself before he could be brought to trial.

According to an obituary in the British Telegraph newspaper: "He harnessed a seemingly effortless courtroom manner with an iron nerve throughout the seven-week trial which, because of unprecedented pretrial press coverage, became the focus of worldwide attention."

Sir Charles leaves a wife and two daughters.