Judge Carlisle Greaves has thanked lawyers on both sides of the Bar for their support throughout his last decade in the Supreme Court as he prepares to stand down.

He will sit as a judge in criminal trials and hearings until October, when he will step down as a Puisne Judge.

Yesterday, Mr Greaves took the opportunity of his last arraignments session as the judge in charge of the criminal division of the Supreme Court to thank members of the Bar for their assistance.

“I wish to thank you all for the support I have received. We have come a long way,” he said. “When I first started we were very much in a state of backlog. But within nine months of my appointment we were able to turn that around.

“For the next 10 years there has not been a backlog at the Supreme Court.

“We set out certain policies that have been complied with, whereby trials are heard within three months of the arraignment, and only exceed that period in exceptional circumstances.”

Mr Greaves said that being part of the effort to successfully reduce the backlog in criminal trials in Bermuda’s Supreme Court was something he was very proud of.

He added: “I hope that in the future people abide by this system. It is not perfect, but it works well for Bermuda.”

“I want to thank everyone for their assistance. It could not have been done without everyone in the court. As a result we have been able to achieve what we have achieved.”

Defence lawyer Saul Froomkin QC praised Mr Greaves for his work in Bermuda, while prosecutor Nicole Smith added her thanks to the outgoing judge.

“Speaking on behalf of the Defence Bar I want to thank you for your ten years of service,” said Mr Froomkin. “We wish you the best in your next endeavours.”

Ms Smith added: “The Crown would like to thank you for your service and wish you luck and much blessings going forward.”

Justice Charles-Etta Simmons will take over Mr Greaves’s position as supervising judge of the Supreme Court’s trial jurisdiction from today.

Chief Justice Ian Kawaley said yesterday: “I have every confidence that she [Justice Charles-Etta Simmons] will maintain the high standards of efficiency in managing the Criminal List which her colleague Justice Carlisle Greaves has set since his designation as Supervising Judge on April 4, 2013.

“Justice Greaves will, of course, continue to sit as a Puisne Judge.”