Members of the legal profession filled Supreme Court yesterday to pay tribute to the late Richard Hector, a Queen?s Counsel and well respected legal mind.

Mr. Hector, or ?Sir Richard? as many in the legal profession called him yesterday, was known as a distinguished orator who could keep any jury interested. He would have been proud of his colleagues yesterday who extolled the virtues of a ?master? and ?great man? in eloquent speeches.

Words such as brilliant, panache, debonair, astute, charismatic, capable and optimist were just a few of the praises that poured from the lips of many of the Island?s leading members of the bar and judiciary.

Mr. Hector passed away at the age of 74 on February 27.

He was born in Guyana, in what friends say were humble circumstances. He went on to represent his country in international cricket and often boasted of bowling Sir Garfield Sobers for a duck. Puisne Judge Ian Kawaley said that Mr. Hector?s prowess on the cricket field was written about in the book ?Cricket Cauldron?

Justice Kawaley said the book mentions that Mr. Hector played well against Sir Len Hutton and Peter May.

Mr. Hector moved to London for his legal training and continued his interest in cricket, he was president of the City of London cricket team. He was called to the bar in England in 1964 and became a member of the Bermuda Bar Association in 1972. He was president of the Bar Council from 1999 to 2001 and the barrister was given the prestigious honour of being made a QC in 1992.

After a spell as Senior Magistrate, he entered private practice and covered a wide range of high-profile criminal trials.

One, a murder trial in the British Virgin Islands in 2001, saw his skills broadcast to millions of cable viewers on Court Television.

Yesterday, Justice Kawaley said one of his most memorable cases as a defence lawyer was one of his first. At first blush it appeared his client had no chance of being acquitted of drug related charges, but after extensive cross examination, Mr. Hector got a Government analyst to admit that she had never tested a white powder substance and could not be sure that it was actually illicit drugs. Needless to say, his client was found innocent and his reputation as tough and thorough lawyer enhanced.

Dame Lois Browne Evans spoke of Mr. Hector?s talents and said he was an example to young and old lawyers.She urged them to remember him when they came before the courts and act in the same dignified and intelligent manner he did. She also said he had ?all the attributes young women look for? and said he was constantly surrounded by women, many members of the crowd chuckled in agreement.

Solicitor General Wilhelm Bourne, who spoke on behalf of Attorney General Larry Mussenden who is currently off the Island, said Mr. Hector was well known on the Island. He said that members of the public would come to listen to him when he was a Magistrate because he was known to be charismatic. He also called Mr. Hector ?the life of the party?.

Mark Pettingill, who saw Mr. Hector as a mentor, gave another touching tribute which had many laughing and crying at the same time.

Chief Justice Richard Ground ended the special tribute in Supreme Court by saying he wished it was within the Bermuda courts? powers to bestow the title Sir on Mr. Hector.