Frederick Rudolph Charles Such
June 13, 2022
Members of chambers and staff, past and present, were saddened to learn of the death of Freddie Such on 2nd June. He was 85. All join in sending our condolences to his wife, Elizabeth and their family.
Freddie was born in Tanzania (then called Tanganyika) where his English father was Administrator; his mother was Prussian. He read law at Oxford before he was called to the Bar in 1960. He completed his pupillage and became a tenant at neighbouring Temple Gardens sets. His wife, Elizabeth, was also a barrister (at 4 Kings Bench Walk). Freddie worked in London for 10 years until the family moved North upon his joining Chambers at 51 Westgate Road.
Freddie had a diverse practice and was particularly good at paperwork. He went on to become a Recorder and, from 2000, was an Immigration Judge based in London. Beyond the Bar Freddie was a very accomplished sportsman and enjoyed hockey, real tennis and cricket.
HH Paul Batty QC remembers,
Freddie was James Harper’s brother-in-law and husband of Elizabeth; his father-in-law was a previous head of Chambers Norman Harper
He was a much loved and admired member of the bar. He was modest, quiet and self-effacing. His practice was pretty esoteric with a bias towards planning and regulatory work. He was on the Directors’ list and as such received high profile cases to prosecute from time to time. He was led by Humphrey Potts QC in the prosecution of Swan Hunters for an explosion causing the death of a number of shipyard workers in the early 80s. He also prosecuted the notorious shooting of the policewoman Maureen Martin which caused her to be paralysed from the waist down.
He once co-defended with two other members of Chambers at the Moot Hall when the prosecutor Ian Bradley announced to the jury “Members of the jury the defendants are represented by My Learned Friends.
Such, Duff, Faulks!!”
A service of remembrance will be held at St John’s Chapel, Oxford Crematorium on 21st June at 1pm. All are welcome.