Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Legal man made time for people
SHERIFF Lindsay Wood, who has died aged 66 after a short illness, was a supporter of sport in Angus and charities across Tayside.
His later years and ties with Rangers mired him in controversy but he was equally at home at Arbroath’s Gayfield as he was at Ibrox.
He spent the first 26 years of his legal career working at Thorntons solicitors in the Angus town.
Approachable and outgoing, he had a particular fondness for football, giving of his time to the then Arbroath Sporting Club, Arbroath FC and other clubs around the area.
Lindsay was a follower of local teams, a regular at hospitality events and gave of his time as a speaker at club events, particularly at Gayfield.
He was born in Hamilton and studied law at Dundee University.
Thorntons in Arbroath took him on as a legal apprentice in 1977 and by 1999 he was managing partner.
He also began to sit as a temporary sheriff at courts in the area until he was appointed a sheriff in Glasgow in 2003 at the age of 46.
Following his death, many tributes have been paid to the sheriff who stood down after submitting a misleading report over his granting of 22 warrants during a botched probe into the takeover of his beloved Rangers.
Fellow solicitor Aamer Anwar said he was saddened by the news.
“He played a central role in the drugs court, delivering justice, rehabilitation and a second chance to so many,” Mr Anwar wrote on X.
Broadcasting legend Dougie Donnelly, a friend of Lindsay’s, also wrote on X: “Sad news of Sheriff Lindsay Wood’s tragically early passing. Another good man gone.”
The latter part of Lindsay’s career was spent in the drugs courts which aim to break the cycle of drug abuse and offending.
He was an enthusiastic advocate of the service and in 2019 told us: “You have to realise the pressures drug addicts are under. They are entrenched in a lifestyle. Which is why everyone at the drug court is there to help them get better.”
He also helped Norway, France and Northern Ireland set up their own drug courts.
However, he still found time to return to Angus many times to give his backing to sport.
In 2019 he compered an event with Tam Cowan when Jimmy Bone, Derek Rylance and Bryan Mitchell were inducted into Arbroath FC’s hall of fame, and was also a frequent supporter of Montrose Roselea and Arbroath United Cricket Club events.