It is with great sadness we have learned of the death of Sheriff Lindsay Wood
following a short illness.
Paying tribute to Sheriff Wood, Sheriff Principal Aisha Anwar of Glasgow and
Strathkelvin said he would be greatly missed.
“His appointment as Sheriff at Glasgow meant a great deal to him. His contribution to
Glasgow Sheriff Court cannot be over-stated. From his ground breaking work in the
drugs court to his deep concern for the welfare of sheriffs and staff, he had an ability
to make everyone feel valued.
“The high regard in which he was held by all was demonstrated by the large
numbers who attended and paid tribute to him during his retirement drinks last year.
He was touched and humbled by the kind words and the gratitude expressed for his
years of service. Our thoughts are very much with his family and all those who knew
and worked with him.”
President of the Sheriffs and Summary Sheriff’s Association, Sheriff Wendy Sheehan
said:
“We are all devastated to learn of the passing of Sheriff Lindsay Wood. Anyone who
sat in Glasgow will know and value Lindsay’s keen intelligence, wit, humour and
pragmatism. He was always available to provide invaluable support and advice to his
colleagues, his warmth, determination to improve judicial welfare and personal
encouragement was greatly appreciated by all.
“His biggest legacy is the drug court, which focusses on offenders as individuals,
treating them with respect and giving them effective participation in the process. We
tend to take drug treatment and testing orders for granted now but it was Lindsay
who introduced a more enlightened approach to sentencing offenders with a deep-
seated drug addiction to facilitate change. My thoughts are with all his colleagues,
his wife, children and granddaughters.’
Brought up in Motherwell, Sheriff Lindsay Wood originally ended up in Tayside due
to his dad relocating for a job in Arbroath. After graduating from the University of
Dundee in 1977 he secured an apprenticeship with Arbroath law firm, Clark Oliver,
which would later merge to become Thorntons.
At just 24 he was made a partner, and remained so until he became a managing
partner at Thorntons in 1998. It was around this time that he started to catch the eye
of a couple of Sheriffs and was persuaded to apply to become a part time Sheriff. In
2003 the opportunity to be a full time Sheriff came up. Following the recruitment
process he was appointed and was then asked by the Sheriff Principal of Glasgow if
he would like to preside in the city. A role he did until his retirement in May last year.
Sheriff Wood was instrumental in the success of the Glasgow Drug Court. which
launched in 2001.
The Glasgow Drug Court is respected and revered, not only in Scotland, but
internationally. Sheriff Wood has helped Norway, France and Northern Ireland set up
their own drug courts.