Former solicitor-general dies

FORMER solicitor-general Graham Sneath, who served during the Star Ferry riots in 1967, died this week in Britain aged 70, after suffering a stroke.

Sneath, who was made an OBE in 1973 after 21 years' service in the Legal Department, served as solicitor-general for seven years, during which time he also acted as attorney-general.

The Chief Justice Sir Ti Liang Yang said yesterday: 'Graham has been a good and respected friend for some 30 years. I remember the periods when he acted as attorney-general when he contributed greatly to the rule of law in Hong Kong.

'His death is a personal loss for me.' Sneath was well-known in Hong Kong for his work with youth groups, including the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups and the Hong Kong Boys' and Girls' Clubs Association.

He served in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve during World War II and spent his last days of service in Hong Kong, rising to the rank of Sub-Lieutenant.

He returned to Hong Kong as a Crown counsel in 1952 and was appointed a senior Crown counsel in 1960, a principal Crown counsel in 1963, solicitor-general in 1966 and a Queen's Counsel in 1967.