A NEWLY-appointed Greenock-born sheriff has spoken of his pride at taking up the role in his hometown.
Anthony McGeehan was officially installed at Greenock Sheriff Court during a welcoming ceremony attended by family, friends and colleagues from the legal profession yesterday.
Sheriff McGeehan was joined on the bench by familiar local sheriffs James Varney and Nicola Patrick, alongside Colonel Peter McCarthy, Lord Lieutenant for Renfrewshire, which includes Inverclyde.
Peter McLelland, Sheriffdom Procurator Fiscal for North Strathclyde, and Vice Dean of Faculty, Fiona Cook, welcomed Sheriff McGeehan before he addressed the court.
He said: "It is a privilege to be appointed to the role, particularly here in Greenock.
"Greenock's reputation as a court with dedicated staff committed to delivering justice goes before it. I plan to do everything I can to uphold that.
"Having gone to school at St Mary's Primary, just around the corner, it is perhaps a short journey from there but in other ways it has been quite a long journey and I would not be here without the support of my family and friends."
READ MORE: New sheriff in town as lawman to take up £157k-a-year role in Greenock
Sheriff McGeehan was formally introduced by Sean Murphy KC, Sheriff Principal for the North Strathclyde jurisdiction - one of six sheriffdoms in Scotland - of which Greenock is a part.
The Sheriff Principal said: "It gives me great pleasure personally to welcome Anthony McGeehan to the ranks today.
"He is a local man who has lived most of his life here in Inverclyde.
"He has devoted his life to a career in public service and this appointment is a further continuation of that work."
Sheriff Principal Murphy KC added that Sheriff McGeehan has had an 'outstanding and distinguished career' and he looks forward to seeing his 'contribution to his local community'.
Sheriff McGeehan is one of 18 incoming lawmen and women, approved by King Charles III, who will serve in North Strathclyde; Glasgow and Strathkelvin; Grampian, Highland and Islands; Lothian and Borders; South Strathclyde, Dumfries and Galloway; and Tayside, and Central and Fife.
Having graduated from the University of Strathclyde in 1995 with an LLB (Hons) degree, before obtaining the Diploma in Legal Practice in 1996, he joined the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service as a trainee solicitor and as a prosecutor.
He then undertook a range of roles across the country including the Procurator Fiscal for Paisley and Deputy Crown Agent.
The new sheriff became a solicitor advocate in 2014 and served on the Criminal Courts Rules Council from 2017 to 2022.
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