(CNS): Governor Jane Owen has appointed Justice Emma Peters to the Cayman Islands Grand Court based on the recommendation of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission (JLSC), which conducted an open recruitment process last summer. The job was advertised locally and internationally and, following a rigorous shortlisting process, an interview panel evaluated five candidates before choosing Peters for the role.
“Her extensive experience will further strengthen the high calibre of our judiciary,” the governor said about the new judge. Justice Peters was officially sworn in on Thursday, 13 February, and commenced her role as a Grand Court Judge on 17 February.
Peters has presided over the full range of criminal cases during her 15 years as a full-time judge, but she has an unusual background for Cayman, haivng spent much of her legal career in military-related courts. She was most recently a circuit judge for Ipswich and Chelmsford Crown Courts. Before that she was an assistant judge advocate general at the UK Military Court Centre in Germany and at the Colchester Military Court Centre in the UK.
Before being appointed to the bench, Justice Peters was legal chairman of the Pensions Appeal Tribunal for Scotland, and a barrister and army legal services officer (lieutenant colonel) for the British Army. She became an accredited mediator in 2004. She was called to the Bar at Lincoln’s Inn, London, in 1991 and was elected as a bencher of Lincoln’s Inn in 2021.
Chief Justice Margaret Ramsay-Hale welcomed the appointment, stating that Peters’ strong background in the criminal courts will be a valuable asset to the Cayman Islands Judiciary, and she looked forward to working with her.
