Wykehamist, Guy Boney QC, will be sworn in as a circuit judge by the Lord Chancellor, Derry Irvine, on Wednesday, April 30th.

It will be a private ceremony attended only by Mr Boney's family.

Having taken silk in 1990, Mr Boney has followed a fairly conventional route to this senior position. He has sat part-time as a deputy High Court judge since 1994 and will now take on the full-time position as circuit judge on criminal cases at Portsmouth Crown Court.

The new appointment was "an interesting challenge" which he was looking forward to tackling.

Mr Boney was educated at Winchester College and Oxford University and returned to Hampshire to practice law.

His wife, Jean, is also a QC and they have two sons, neither of whom have shown an interest for the bar. "Medicine is really the family profession," said Mr Boney.

"Both my parents were doctors and my eldest son is doing his medical training at University College, London."

The family moved to Hampshire in 1980 and Mr Boney has been an organist at King's Sombourne Church ever since - he says he finds it a relaxing change from the courtroom.

Equally diverting is Mr Boney's interest in amateur dramatics as a member of the Stockbridge Players.

"There's quite a lot of the actor in all lawyers," he said.