John Carter graduated from Southampton University and worked initially as a research engineer in the aeronautics industry.  At the age of 27 he trained as a probation officer and his subsequent career in the Probation Service included working in a large rural area, 5 years working in a local prison, a secondment to the Home Office in London and senior management posts in Gloucestershire Probation Head Office.  He retired from his last post as Chief Officer for the Gloucestershire Area in early 2004.  He is a trustee of two Gloucestershire charities and a lay member of a Social Services panel dealing with the carers of vulnerable adults.

“Throughout my Probation Service career I have recognised the importance of inter-agency work and I was able to develop close links with the courts.  I was a member of the local criminal justice board for my last four years in the Probation Service.  For HMCS and the Courts Board to achieve its objectives working with other agencies is imperative and I intend to utilise my broad experience in chairing the Courts Board.”

Melanie has a technical background in business and manufacturing, particularly in process improvement. A Chartered Physicist with a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, she has enjoyed roles in commercial, production, development and quality management.

Melanie’s interests in the public sector include membership of Gloucestershire Police Authority and non-executive directorship of South Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust. Previously a member of Gloucestershire Courts Board, she lives in Gloucestershire with her husband & three children and is active in a number of organisations in her community.

Jim Hoare is a magistrate and currently a member of the East Dorset Bench. He was appointed in July 1983. He was a member of the Dorset Magistrates' Court Committee (MCC) from 1998-2005 and became Deputy Chairman in 2002 and was appointed Chairman in 2003 until 2005. In October 2004 he was appointed Chairman of the Dorset Courts Board which became effective on 1 April 2005 after the MCCs were abolished. In 2007, following the reorganisation of HMCS Areas, he became a member of the newly formed Dorset, Wiltshire & Gloucestershire Courts Board. Jim has been appointed for 3 years. Jim is retired, but for forty years he was an Industrial Chemist and Project Manager. He is a Chartered Chemist and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. He is married with a grown up family and grandchildren and has lived in Wimborne since 1976. His main hobbies are sailing and fishing.

David Stevens has served as a magistrate in Swindon for over 12 years. He was also a member of the Magistrates’ Courts Committee for Wiltshire before its duties were taken over by HMCS. David is a Non Executive Director at Wiltshire NHS Primary Care Trust. He has extensive senior management experience from his time as Area Director West for Nationwide Building Society and in the voluntary sector plus various consultancy appointments covering IT, Human Resources and Corporate Fundraising.

“I am looking forward to working with my fellow board members so as to ensure that that the objectives of the HMCS in Dorset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire are in keeping with the needs of the local communities.”

Lesley Bennett has been a councillor in Wiltshire for 25 years.  As well as serving on the Courts Boards she is chair of governors at Luckington Community School, a trustee of the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust and Chair of Council for Voluntary Service North Wilts.  Lesley is also non executive customer director of Wessex Water.  She lives in Luckington.

John is a solicitor specialising in representing people injured in accidents. He is a partner of Veale Wasbrough, a firm of solicitors in Bristol, heading up the Augustines Injury Law division.

Until recently, John was the first Regional Co-ordinator for the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers for the South West and for the last six years he has been Chairman of the Bristol Civil Court Users Committee.

John was appointed to the Gloucestershire Courts Board in 2004 and served on that Courts Board until it was dissolved in 2007 when he was appointed to the Courts Board for Gloucestershire, Dorset and Wiltshire.

John’s work takes him to the courts of all three counties and, although he has been restricted to civil litigation in his professional career in recent years, he used to undertake criminal law work and therefore has experience of working in all the different types of courts.

John lives with his family in North Wiltshire.

Judge Clark was appointed a Judge in November 2005. He undertakes both criminal and civil work and is Liaison Judge for Dorset.

He was called to the Bar in 1969 and became a member of the Western Circuit. He was a member of Southampton Chambers between 1970 and 1974. He then joined Three Pump Court in London, the Chambers of John Hampden Inskip QC.

He took Silk in 1989. His practice as a Silk was largely criminal work, but also some civil work. He became Head of his Chambers in May 2001 and by then his Chambers had bases in London, Winchester and Swindon and was approximately 70 strong.

He became a Recorder in 1986 and was a Recorder for 19 years prior to being appointed a Circuit Judge.

Judge Clark lives just over the border in Hampshire.

Rod Brummitt has been Dorset Area Director of Her Majesty’s Courts Service since the Courts Service restructured in April 2005, bringing together the Magistrates’, Crown and County Courts into a single organisation. In April 2007 Rod became Area Director for Gloucester, Wiltshire and Dorset as Her Majesty’s Courts Service restructured its Area Directorates.

Rod was Chief Executive for Dorset Magistrates’ Courts before the restructuring of the Courts Service in 2005. Before he took up his position at the courts, Rod was an Army Officer, leaving in the rank of Brigadier. A fellow of the Chartered Management Institute, Rod was awarded the MBE in 1986 and was mentioned in a dispatch for distinguished operational service in 1991.

Rod and his family live in Bournemouth.