Right Honourable Sir Dennis Byron
Son of the St. Kitts-Nevis soil, the Right Honourable Sir Dennis Byron has been appointed as the new President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) during the recent Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Heads of Government Inter-Sessional Summit in Grenada. The appointment followed the unanimous recommendation by the Regional and Judicial Legal Services Commission.
Born in Basseterre, Sir Dennis won the Leeward Islands Scholarship in 1960 and went on to read law at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge University. At Fitzwilliam, he won his oar as a member of the College’s top rowing team in the May Bumps for 1964. He graduated with an M.A and LL.B. in 1966. In 1965, he was called to the Bar of England and Wales by the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, after successfully reading for the Bar Exams in the three months between completing his first Degree and commencing his postgraduate Degree.
In 1965, Sir Dennis was called to the Bar of England and Wales by the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple. He practiced as a Barrister-at-Law and Solicitor throughout the Leeward Islands, with Chambers in Saint Kitts, Nevis and Anguilla from 1966 to 1982. His judicial career began in 1982 when at the age of 38 years he was appointed as a High Court Judge of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court is a federal Court serving six independent countries together with three Crown Colonies of Great Britain. In 1986, as Acting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Grenada, on secondment from the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, he presided over the famous murder trial involving the assassination of Prime Minister Maurice Bishop – the longest criminal trial in Caribbean history.
He was appointed a substantive member of the Court of Appeal of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court in 1990.
In 1999, Judge Byron was appointed Chief Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, after acting in that position for two years.
Sir Dennis has served as President of the Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute in Halifax, Canada since the year 2000.
In 2000, Judge Byron was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II and he was appointed a member of Her Majesty’s Most Honourable Privy Council in 2004. Also in 2004, he was appointed as an Honorary Bencher of the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple.
Sir Dennis is married to Lady Norma Byron, and is the father of Kurt, Michael, Nicholas and Dennis Mandela.
Sir Dennis is the son of the late Mr. Vincent Byron, Sr., M.B.E., former senior civil servant who on occasion acted as Governor-General’s Deputy to former Governor-General Sir Clement Arrindell.
Sir Dennis will commence his new appointment in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, at a later date to be announced by the Caribbean Court of Justice.
See a full account of what the St. Kitts Democrat newspaper says of Sir Dennis at www.themontserratreporter.com
