Sir Alexander Roy Asplin Beldam, PC (29 March 1925 – 16 October 2020) was a British judge who served as

Lord Justice of Appeal A Lord Justice of Appeal or Lady Justice of Appeal is a judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, the court that hears appeals from the High Court of Justice, the Crown Court and other courts and tribunals. A Lord (or Lady) Just ...

England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the Law of the United Kingdom#Legal jurisdictions, three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. Th ...

from 1989 until 2000.

Early years

He was the son of the

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is of three or more days scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officially adju ...

er and photographer George Beldam and his second wife, Margaret Underwood.Obituary
the times.co.uk. Accessed 24 December 2022. After attending Oundle School, he served in the wartime Royal Navy

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is the naval aviation component of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy (RN). The FAA is one of five :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, RN fighting arms. it is a primarily helicopter force, though also operating the Lockhee ...

, flying as an Observer in Grumman Avengers with the British Pacific Fleet.

Career

He was called to the Bar in 1950 and made

Queen's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

in 1969. After appointment as a Recorder in 1972, he was appointed a judge of the High Court in 1981 for which he received the customary knighthood. In 1989, he was elevated to the

Court of Appeal of England and Wales The Court of Appeal (formally "His Majesty's Court of Appeal in England", commonly cited as "CA", "EWCA" or "CoA") is the highest court within the Senior Courts of England and Wales, and second in the legal system of England and Wales only to ...

, where he served until his retirement in 2000. He was made a member of the Privy Council in 1989. He also served as Legal Assessor to the

General Medical Council The General Medical Council (GMC) is a public body that maintains the official register of physician, medical practitioners within the United Kingdom. Its chief responsibility is to "protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the pu ...

from 1976–81, and as Chairman of the Law Commission from 1985–89. He was also a Bencher of the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

. His daughter, Alexandra Beldam, was called to the Bar in 1981 and has been the Registrar of Criminal Appeals, Master of the Crown Office and Queen's Coroner since 5 November 2018. He died on 16 October 2020 at the age of 95.

Footnotes

1925 births 2020 deaths 20th-century English judges British King's Counsel Chancery Division judges Knights Bachelor Lord justices of appeal Members of the Inner Temple Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom People educated at Oundle School Royal Air Force personnel of World War II {{law-bio-stub