‘Simply no one better’: Prominent Black UK lawyer Courtenay Griffiths dies aged 69

Griffiths, one of the first Black lawyers to achieve queen’s counsel, has been fondly remembered by colleagues

Tributes have been paid to the “legendary” defence barrister Courtenay Griffiths KC, one of the first Black lawyers to achieve the prestigious queen’s counsel status in the UK, who has died at the age of 69.

Griffiths, who was born in Jamaica, was involved in some of the most notable criminal cases of his time, including the PC Keith Blakelock and Damilola Taylor murder trials and the Brighton bombing.