NEWS

Sheriff Carmichael dedicated his life to public service.  A former prosecutor, he was appointed as Sheriff in 2013 originally sitting in South Strathclyde, Dumfries and Galloway sheriffdom before moving to Tayside, Central and Fife in February 2015.

He continued to work as a Sheriff despite being diagnosed with Motor Neurones Disease in 2024, and his dedication and courage were praised from people across the justice sector and Scotland’s First Minister.  Whilst continuing with other aspects of his job, the effect of MND on Sheriff Carmichael’s voice had reduced his ability to interact with a jury as part of his sheriff court solemn work.

However, in what was thought to be a first for a judge in the UK, Sheriff Carmichael was able to continue in the role with the aid of text-to-speech software that allowed him to type in words that were then ‘spoken out loud’ from his laptop. 

Returning to sheriff and jury trials, feedback from jurors was unanimously positive in the use of the electronic voice where ‘the Judge’s personality still came across and [was] able to put you at ease’.

As well as being keen to continue in his role, Sheriff Carmichael spoke of his pleasure in highlighting to other people that may be in a similar position that a synthetic voice could be used to perform a role under pressure in the public eye.

Paying tribute, the Lord President, Lord Pentland said: “Sheriff Alastair Carmichael was a fine man and lawyer who dedicated his career to public service as a prosecutor and then Sheriff. He was self-effacing and did not crave the publicity he attracted for working in court with technological assistance. 

“He allowed media coverage, despite his instinctive reticence, to give hope to others by showing what technology made possible when suffering from a serious and debilitating progressive condition. He was consistent in crediting medical professionals, technicians, court staff, lawyers and colleagues for enabling him to work on. He was motivated by his absolute commitment to justice and to serving the public in Dundee for as long as he possibly could. On behalf of the Scottish judiciary, I extend profound condolences and sympathy to Sheriff Carmichael’s family.”

Sheriff Principal Gillian Wade, Sheriff Principal of Tayside, Central and Fife, said: “It is with the greatest sadness that we learned our dear colleague and friend Alastair Carmichael passed away. Our thoughts are very much with his family at this time.