Maverick Magistrate Edward King has been demoted to civil court after lawyers lobbied Chief Justice Austin Ward to take action over his rudeness.

From August 1, Carlisle Greaves will take over from Mr. King as Acting Senior Magistrate and Will Francis will be moved from civil court to family court, said Magistrates' Court Administrative Officer Tracy Kelly.

He said Court Two duties would be handled by an Acting Magistrate. He said he didn't know how long the arrangement would last.

Lawyers presented a dossier of complaints to Mr. Justice Ward this month.

Complaints included that Mr. King refused to make a proper record of court proceedings, obstructed lawyers, encouraged clients to by-pass lawyers, insulted and shouted at lawyers and made insensitive remarks to the public.

Bar Association President Trevor Moniz said of Mr. King's reprimand: "It's not the answer to the problem but they are trying to show some sensitivity to the issues that have been raised.

"It's a short term measure made to ease the friction between members of the Bar and Mr. King."

But he said he was glad action had been taken.

One lawyer who spoke to The Royal Gazette said the move was likely to be permanent.

The defence lawyer said: "It's a good development - at court I won't have to deal with him.

"I love criminal law, no longer will I hate going to court, he was a black cloud hanging over my diary.

"But I don't know how he will perform in civil court. We might easily face similar problems in civil court."

But the lawyer added: "It makes such a big difference when people's liberty is at stake.

"I don't think it's meant to be temporary - if it's only for one or two months it would seem a pointless move.

"There will always be a need for civil Magistrate. If there are no full time Magistrates there is no reason we should not be able to fill the criminal court with Acting Magistrates."

Mr King has been disciplined before by Mr Justice Ward - in 1999 after then-prosecutor Larry Mussenden ended up in custody following a row with Mr. King.