Islands where as the country's top law officer he waged a five-year battle against drugs smuggling, money laundering and white collar crime.

Mr. Richard William Ground OBE QC, who will become a Bermuda Puisne judge on July 1, acknowledged similarities between Bermuda and Cayman, two of Britain's few remaining Crown colonies.

"For many years now we've been maintaining a war on drugs, battling local drug abuse and more recently the money laundering of drug proceeds,'' he said.

"I've been more involved in setting policy and strengthening legislation than in handling prosecutions.'' Mr. Ground was also at the forefront of Cayman Islands' efforts to deal with the BCCI scandal, closing three of the bank's companies last July as part of a worldwide shutdown of its operations.

Chief Justice the Hon. Sir James Astwood yesterday announced Mr. Ground's appointment as Puisne Judge to replace Mr. David Hull, who left the post earlier this year to become Chief Justice in Swaziland.

A 42-year-old Englishman, Mr. Ground was educated on a open scholarship at Lincoln College, Oxford. He did post graduate work in English literature before studying at the Inns of Court School of Law. He was called to the Bar at Gray's Inn, London in 1975 and practised as a Barrister until 1983 with a focus on civil and commercial litigation.

He moved to the Cayman Islands in 1983 to work as a Crown counsel. In 1984, he was promoted senior Crown counsel. Two years later he became the Islands' Attorney General, handling all important criminal prosecutions and civil litigation.

As Attorney General, Mr. Ground sat in the Cayman legislature and on the Executive Council, the equivalent of Bermuda's Cabinet.

When Mr. Ground was awarded his OBE in December, he was described as "one who proved himself very quickly in Cayman as a most able advocate, giving sound and clear advice in the Executive Council ...'' Mr. Ground said he regarded his Puisne judge appointment as "next logical step for somebody who wants to stay on a legal course.

"My two predecessors became governors for the British Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos,'' he said. "But I'm a lawyer and I want to stay in the law.

All lawyers think the Bench is the ultimate achievement. It's a chance to administer, shape and apply the law.

"It will also be a considerable intellectual challenge and I'm relishing the prospect of it.'' Mr. Ground has visited Bermuda before on official business and can claim friendships here. His wife, Dace, is a Harvard-trained lawyer whom he met in Cayman Islands. She is a former director of the Islands' National Trust.

Mr. Ground is a nature enthusiast who spends much of his spare time as a wildlife photographer. In 1990, he published a book of photographs and text on Cayman's wildlife called Creator's Glory which he dedicated to the National Trust along with any profits. His other interests include scuba diving, travel and gardening.

Cayman Islands is similar to Bermuda in its economic make-up with tourism and international banking its chief pillars.