Urddo cyn-farnwr o’r ‘Old Bailey’ yn Gymrawd er Anrhydedd

Yr Gwir Anrhydeddus Arglwydd Thomas o Gwmgiedd (Ganghellor, Prifysgol Aberystwyth) gyda Ei Anrhydedd Nicholas Cooke QC

Mae Ei Anrhydedd y Barnwr Nicholas Cook QC, cyn Uwch Farnwr Cylchdaith yn y Llys Troseddol Canolog, yr ‘Old Bailey’, wedi ei urddo’n Gymrawd er Anrhydedd gan Brifysgol Aberystwyth.

Graddiodd Ei Anrhydedd Nicholas Cooke QC yn y Gyfraith o Goleg Prifysgol Cymru, Aberystwyth, fel yr oedd ar y pryd, yn 1976. Fe'i galwyd i'r Bar yn y Deml Ganol yn 1977 ac wedi hynny ymddangosodd fel bargyfreithiwr mewn ystod eang o achosion yng Nghaerdydd, rhwng 1994 a 2007.

Bu’n eistedd fel Cofiadur a Chofiadur Cynorthwyol (barnwr rhan-amser) ar Gylchdaith Cymru a Chaer ac mewn mannau eraill o 1994 hyd 1997.

Fe'i penodwyd yn Gwnsler y Frenhines yn 1998 a daeth yn arweinydd Cylchdaith Cymru a Chaer yn 2006. Yn 2007 fe'i penodwyd yn Uwch Farnwr Cylchdaith ac yn Gofiadur Caerdydd.

Yna bu’n eistedd fel barnwr yn y Llys Troseddol Canolog, yr ‘Old Bailey’, rhwng 2012 a 2018. Eisteddodd hefyd fel Dirprwy Farnwr yr Uchel Lys yn Is-adran Mainc y Frenhines, y Llys Gweinyddol a'r Llys Cynllunio ac fel Barnwr Ychwanegol yn y Llys Apêl (Yr Is-adran Droseddol) rhwng 2007 a 2018.

Ar ôl ymddeol o fod yn farnwr llawn-amser, parhaodd i eistedd ar Dribiwnlys Adolygu Iechyd Meddwl Cymru hyd 2021.

Ef yw Canghellor Esgobaeth Tyddewi a Llywydd Llys Taleithiol yr Eglwys yng Nghymru. Ac yntau wedi ymddeol, mae'n astudio'n rhan-amser am ddoethuriaeth, gan ymchwilio i ddedfrydu am lofruddiaeth yng Ngholeg Caerwrangon, Prifysgol Rhydychen.

Cyflwynwyd Ei Anrhydedd Nicholas Cooke QC fel Cymrawd er Anrhydedd gan Yr Athro Emyr Lewis, Pennaeth Adran Y Gyfraith a Throseddeg ar ddydd Iau 14 Gorffennaf 2022.

Mae’r cyflwyniad llawn ar gael isod, yn yr iaith y’i traddodwyd.

Cyflwyno Ei Anrhydedd Nicholas Cooke QC gan Yr Athro Emyr Lewis

Ganghellor, Ddirprwy Is-Ganghellor, raddedigion a  chyfeillion.  Pleser o’r mwyaf yw cyflwyno Ei Anrhydedd Nicholas Cooke QC yn gymrawd Prifysgol Aberystwyth.

Chancellor, Pro Vice-Chancellor, graduates and supporters.  It is an honour and a privilege to present His Honour Nicholas Cooke QC as a Fellow of Aberystwyth University.

It is a particular pleasure to present someone who is a graduate in law from this University who has gone on to follow a distinguished career first as a practitioner and then as a judge.

Hailing from Northfield, Nick was educated at King Edward’s School Birmingham, and was in the first generation from his family to go to University. He had developed a love for Ceredigion as a child, so coming to Aberystwyth was a natural choice for him.

He was a gifted student, graduating with a first in Law in 1976 as well as gaining the prestigious Sweet and Maxwell Prize. His achievements at Aber were not only academic: he took part in hockey and athletics and was a member of the entertainments committee, including a stint as a disc Jockey.

After finishing his bar exams and securing an entrance exhibition to the Middle Temple he was called to the bar in 1977 and did his pupillage in Cardiff under the guidance of another distinguished alumnus of this Department the late Vernon Pugh QC.

His ability as a barrister was evident early in his career with members of the Judicial Committee of the House of Lords (including some not given to saying nice things about advocates) praising the quality of his arguments a mere 5 years after graduating.

Nick’s practice covered both civil and criminal cases, including sterling work representing the victims of industrial accidents. As his career progressed, he developed a particular specialism in the fields of planning and local government. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1998 becoming leader of the Wales and Chester Circuit in 2006.

As a practitioner he was involved in several important and high-profile cases, including being Counsel to the highly significant Clywch inquiry which made far-reaching recommendations about the safeguarding of children.

While he was in practice, Nick also sat as a judge in Wales and further afield, so it was not surprising that in 2007 he was appointed to the full time position of being a Senior Circuit Judge and the Recorder of Cardiff.

He then sat as a judge at the Central Criminal Court (The “Old Bailey”) from 2012 to 2018. He also sat as a Deputy High Court Judge in the Queen’s Bench Division, Administrative Court, and Planning Court and as an Additional Judge of the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) between 2007 and 2018.

After retiring as a full time judge he continued to sit in the Mental Health Review Tribunal for Wales until 2021.

He is the Chancellor of the Diocese of St Davids and the President of the Provincial Court of the Church in Wales.

In retirement he is studying part-time for a doctorate, researching into sentencing for murder at Worcester College, Oxford University.

Ganghellor, mae’n bleser gen i gyflwyno Nicholas Cooke i chi yn Gymrawd. 

Chancellor, it is my absolute pleasure to present Nicholas Cooke to you as a Fellow of Aberystwyth University.

Anrhydeddau Prifysgol Aberystwyth 2022

Yn rhan o'r seremonïau graddio bydd y Brifysgol hefyd yn cyflwyno deg Cymrodoriaeth er Anrhydedd i unigolion sydd â chysylltiad ag Aberystwyth neu Gymru, ac sydd wedi gwneud cyfraniad eithriadol i'w dewis feysydd.  

Mae'r Cymrodyr eleni yn cynnwys ffigurau blaenllaw o'r celfyddydau, darlledu, y gyfraith, amaethyddiaeth, a'r sectorau gwyddoniaeth a thechnoleg.

Dyma Gymrodyr er Anrhydedd 2022 (yn y drefn y’u cyflwynir):

• Yr Athro Fonesig Elan Closs Stephens DBE, Comisiynydd Etholiadol Cymru ac yn Gyfarwyddwr Anweithredol ar Fwrdd y BBC, yn ogystal â bod yr aelod dros Gymru ar y Bwrdd hwnnw
• Myrddin ap Dafydd, awdur, cyhoeddwr ac Archdderwydd Cymru
• Yr Anrhydeddus Ustus Datuk Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera, Barnwr Llys Apêl, Malaysia
• Harry Venning, cartwnydd, darlunydd ac awdur comedi arobryn
• Dr Zoe Laughlin, cyd-sylfaenydd a chyfarwyddwr ‘Institute of Making’
• Rhuanedd Richards, Cyfarwyddwr Cenedlaethol BBC Cymru
• Jonathan Whelan, ymgynghorydd TG, awdur a Chymrawd Cymdeithas Gyfrifiaduron Prydain.
• Tom Jones OBE, amaethwr a chadeirydd Ymddiriedolaeth Elusennol Stadiwm y Mileniwm ar adeg ei sefydlu
• Ei Anrhydedd y Barnwr Nicholas Cooke QC, cyn Uwch Farnwr Cylchdaith yn y Llys Troseddol Canolog, “yr Hen Feili”
• Gwerfyl Pierce Jones, cyn-Gyfarwyddwr a Phrif Weithredwr Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru

Rhannu