XN000022-1997-01-07 — Page 2

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Appointments of High Court Judges

The Judiciary announced today (Tuesday) the appointment of Judge Pang Kin- kee and Mr William Stone QC as Judges of the High Court and the appointment of Judge Clare-Marie Beeson as Chief District Judge.

It also announced the appointment of Mr D L Duggan, Mr G Tallentire, Mrs J Wai-ling Barnes, Ms Mary Yuen Lai-wah and Mr Louis Tong Po-sun as Principal Magistrates and Mr Lung Kim-wan as Principal Presiding Officer of the Labour Tribunal.

Apart from Mr Stone QC, all appointments take effect today. Mr Stone's appointment will be effective from January 20, 1997 when he assumes office.

The biographical notes of the newly-appointed Judges and Principal Magistrates are as follows:

Judge Pang Kin-kee

Judge Pang was born in China in 1947. He studied law at the Council of Legal Education in London from 1975 to 1978 and was called to the English Bar in 1978. He was admitted as a solicitor and barrister in Australia in 1983. Before joining the Hong Kong Judiciary in 1985 as magistrate, he was in private practice. He was appointed as a District Judge in 1987 and has been appointed as Deputy Judge of the High Court on a number of occasions since 1993. Judge Pang is married with two sons.

Mr William Stone QC

Mr William Stone QC was born in England in 1946 and received his education in Wales and in Canada. He came to Hong Kong in 1971 as a law lecturer at the then newly established Department of Law at Hong Kong University and taught at the University for seven years, commencing with the first graduating class of 1972, many of whose members are now leading lawyers. He was called to the English Bar in 1976 and to the Hong Kong Bar in the same year and has been in private practice since 1977. He was appointed as Queen's Counsel in 1995 and sat as Deputy Judge of High Court for the month of May 1996. Mr Stone QC is married and has a son and a daughter.