Top QC death shock
Tributes for high-flyer who prosecuted Black Widower
Tributes have been made to a leading lawyer and civil rights activist has been found dead at his home.
Former col leagues and friends spoke fondly of their memories of Derek Ogg QC.
The advocate was found dead at his Glasgow flat. He was 65.
Ogg, who was involved in a number of high-profile cases as both a prosecutor and d e f e n c e c o u n s e l , wa s discovered by police officers on Friday night.
The Faculty of Advocates paid tribute to their colleague.
Gordon Jackson QC, dean of faculty, said: “All of us who knew Derek Ogg are deeply saddened by his passing.
“He was a mar vellous advocate but, more than that, he was a fierce campaigner for his beliefs both on a personal and professional level.
“He will be greatly missed.” Police Scotland said officers attended his home in the Langside area in the south side of the city.
A spokeswoman said: “Around 8.10pm on Friday, May 1, 2020, the body of a 65-year-old man was discovered by off icers within a flat.
“There would appear to be no suspicious circumstances surrounding the man’s death and a report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal.”
Ogg called to the Scottish Bar in 1989, having been a solicitor for more than 12 years, and appointed Queen’s Counsel 1999.
He was then invited to join the Crown Office as an Advocate Depute in 2007, entering as a Senior Depute.
The high-flyer was promoted to assistant principal advocate in 2009 and was the inaugural head of the National Sexual Crimes Unit, where he oversaw and contributed to modern thinking and approaches to the prosecuting of sexual crimes.
He also appeared in many landmark cases in the Appeal Court.
Ogg was based at Optimum Advocates, one of the largest stables of top lawyers in Scotland.
Director Tony Graham QC said: “There is a core of Counsel who appear in Glasgow High Court on an almost daily basis.
Derek was one of them. I, and everyone at Optimum Advocates and indeed the Faculty of Advocates as a whole will mourn his passing.
“We have lost not just a committed and talented col league but a loyal and generous friend.
“Glasgow High Court will be an unfortunately quieter place without Derek as he leaves a void uneasy to fill. Those feelings, however, are insignificant compared to those of his family and loved ones, who have lost not just an outstanding colleague and friend but a much loved partner, brother and uncle. May he rest in peace.”
One of Ogg’s greatest court victories was the successful prosecution of Malcolm Webster, dubbed the Black Widower.
The former nurse murdered his first wife in a car fire and then tried to kill his second in another crash to claim the insurance.
He was jailed for at least 30 years at the High Court in Glasgow in 2011.
Ian Green, chief executive of the Terrence Higgins Trust, paid tribute to Ogg’s role as a gay rights campaigner.
He said: “Derek’s contribution during the early days of the HIV epidemic in Scotland cannot be overstated.
“His trai lblazing efforts helped to raise and educate communities before the virus was making headline news.”