Sheffield court staff pay respects to 'longest serving court watcher'

Judges and other staff stood in silence outside Sheffield Crown Court to watch Mr Mollison's funeral cortege drive past

Judges, barristers and court staff have paid their respects to a man who was "an ever-present fixture" watching proceedings at Sheffield Crown Court.

Andrew Mollison died in November aged 74, after 42 years observing criminal cases from the public gallery.

Court workers filed outside and lined the street to watch his hearse pass before his funeral on Tuesday.

Clerk Andrew Cawood said Mr Mollison had meant a lot to a lot of people and his death was "very sad".

Andrew Mollison watched criminal cases from the public galleries at Sheffield Crown Court for 42 years

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Mr Cawood said the "court watcher", from Parson Cross, knew the judges' itineraries better than the court staff did after more than 40 years observing the justice system in action.

"He was an ever-present," Mr Cawood said.

"He was always around, always helpful. If you were missing counsel he'd always know where they were.

"He knew the judges' itineraries better than we did."

In November when Mr Mollison died, Judge Jeremy Richardson QC, Recorder of Sheffield, read a eulogy describing him as an "institution" who would be sadly missed.

Court staff said they had been inundated with messages of condolence from across the country.

Clerk Andrew Cawood said Mr Mollison was "an ever-present... always around, always helpful"

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