A PROBATION Service officer who has dealt with thousands of court cases during a 25-year stint at Barnsley Magistrates’ Court has retired.

Charlie McDermid, who was born of the Isle of Islay, Scotland, has served as a prosecutor and report writer for the service that supervises offenders released into the community.

The 70-year-old who will spend his retirement going on holiday with his wife, Jean, as well as watching his beloved Rangers Football Club spent his final day in court yesterday and will celebrate his retirement with colleagues tonight.

“I’ve been with the Probation Service for 40 years in total but have been in court in Barnsley for 25,” Charlie told the Chronicle.

“I’m proud to have served in the court as it has been one of the top-performing in the country and often people used to come here to see how we ran it.

“We’ve always had good district judges, such as Michael Rosenberg and John Foster, but there’s been a few funny moments along the way.

“For example, we once had an interpreter in court, but the judge said they’d brought them in for me so people could understand my accent.

“I actually only spoke Gaelic until I was five, as I moved to the mainland when I was nine.

“I’ve sat in thousands of cases but I’ve always treated people with respect and I hope those I’ve come across think that, too.”