Sir Christopher Clarke has been appointed as the new president of the Bermuda Court of Appeal.

The judge, who has served on the Court of Appeal since 2016, is best known for being counsel for the Bloody Sunday Inquiry and is a former senior member of the English Court of Appeal. He replaces Sir Scott Baker.

Lawyer Craig Attridge has also been appointed to the Office of the Magistrate, to replace Archibald Warner, who has retired.

John Rankin, the Governor, said: “I am very pleased to announce the appointment of Sir Christopher Clarke as the next president of the Court of Appeal and am confident that his legal expertise and experience will continue to serve Bermuda well, maintaining the island’s reputation as a legal jurisdiction of the highest order.”

Mr Attridge has served in Bermuda’s courts at all levels, as well as before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, and the Human Rights Tribunal.

In the past eight years, he has run his own legal practice and has served as an Acting Magistrate on occasions since March.

Mr Rankin said: “His experience in the field of criminal law and in wider areas, including serving as an Acting Magistrate in civil and family matters, make him well placed to take up this important position within Bermuda’s justice system.”