There is a new resident judge in Swindon after a Navy veteran retired.

Judge Peter Crabtree OBE has retired as a circuit judge after a 37-year career in law.

He was first called to the Bar in 1985, before he became a Deputy District Judge in 2003 and a District Judge two years later.

Judge Crabtree, now 66, sat in the magistrates’ court before he was appointed to the position of recorder – a part-time circuit judge that still retains their role as an advocate.

He was first appointed as a circuit judge in 2014, and started as the resident judge in Swindon from 2019.

Judge Crabtree, awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours of 1997, held the rank of Commander when he served in the Royal Navy, archives of the London Gazette show.

He retired with effect from April 30, an announcement from the Courts and Tribunals Judiciary shows, and has been replaced as Swindon’s resident judge by Judge James Townsend, who previously sat at Taunton Crown Court.

A resident judge is a senior circuit judge who has leadership and management duties at their court centre, which include ensuring cases across the court centre are managed efficiently.