Waterside Press was extremely saddened to hear of the death in November 2024 of former Metropolitan Deputy Chief Stipendiary Magistrate for Inner London and District Judge for 27 years from 1972 to 1999 Ronald Bartle. In a prolific period from 2012 to 2016 he wrote four books for Waterside Press: The Telephone Murder: The Mysterious Death of Julia Wallace, a career-based biographical account Bow Street Beak; Lizzie Borden and the Massachusetts Axe Murders and Three Cases That Shook the Law.
Ronald Bartle also wrote for other publishers including about the law of evidence during his long and centrally positioned legal career at the former Bow Street Magistrates’ Court observing the frailty and sometimes colourful antics of those who passed through the criminal courts in central London. He also recalled having to deal with such diverse individuals as Robert Fagan (who managed to evade security to enter the Queen’s bedroom at Buckingham Palace), General Pinochet the former president of Argentina, and corrupt police officers. His The Police Witness: A Guide to Presenting Evidence in Court (1984 onwards) became a staple in police training.
A member of the Garrick Club he was fond of entertaining there, including the senior partner of this imprint on various occasions when he was always keen to discuss with great enthusiasm his next project (including his poetry that remains unpublished). He was aged 95 and is survived by his wife Molly.