Lawyers remember late former magistrate and ombudsman

The legal fraternity is remembering veteran magistrate Valton Bend who died on Tuesday, aged 74, for making a significant contribution to Barbadian jurisprudence.

Bend, who retired this year as the fourth Ombudsman of Barbados, was remembered for his time on the bench, where he “preached values as much as he did the law”, said Senior Counsel Ralph Thorne.

He told Barbados TODAY: “He was within that tradition of Barbadians who devoted their professional lives to public service, and we must thank him for that noble life-long commitment. I wish this gregarious servant of the people a safe journey and an assured destination.”

Recalling that young attorneys went through a “baptism of fire” when they faced Magistrate Bend, Michael Lashley SC said his no-nonsense demeanour made the lawyers more robust advocates.

“You could not appear before him not dressed in court colours,” said Lashley. “In one instance, I remember a junior went before him in a not-too-sober-coloured suit and he refused to hear the junior. He actually instilled discipline in the court and tried to get the best out of the young attorneys who came before him in making you do full arguments.”

Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Alliston Seale SC said he became a better prosecutor as he cut his “teeth” working with Bend at the District ‘D’ Magistrates’ Court in St Thomas.

Seale said: “His style of magistracy made me aware of the things I needed to do as a prosecutor. He was a moody person, and if you didn’t understand him well, you could find yourself in serious trouble even as a prosecutor…. Working with him did cause me scary days in the beginning, and I saw many a young lawyer tremble before Mr Bend because when you came and made submissions for bail and thought you had reached the end of your submissions, Mr Bend would look up and smile and say ‘you now got to talk’.”

Another senior counsel, Edmund Hinkson MP, described Bend as a fair presiding officer while on the bench, giving equal opportunity to counsel on either side to argue their points.

Calling Bend a “quintessential individual from the rural parts of Barbados” to whom one could relate, Hinkson also spoke about Bend’s love for lawn tennis, noting that they had both been members of the Paragon Club in Brittons Hill, St Michael.

In November 2007, Bend became Ombudsman, an independent position with the government that is authorised to investigate complaints of poor public service or breaches of citizens’ rights.
(JB)