NSW district court judge Peter Zahra has passed away, after suffering a stroke.
Zahra served as a judge on the district court for 15 years, having been appointed in 2007. He became a public defender in 1989, then a senior public defender in 2001.
The state’s attorney general, Mark Speakman, has offered his condolences to Zahra’s family and thanked Zahra for his contributions over the years to the legal profession.
“His Honour was considered an outstanding leader in the Public Defenders Chambers – hard working, a fine advocate and dedicated to developing and maintaining the highest standard in the work undertaken by Public Defenders. He was also a well-respected legal author on drug laws and criminal law,” Speakman said in a statement.
The attorney general continued: “During his 15 years on the District Court bench, Judge Zahra earned the deep respect of his judicial colleagues, those at the Bar who appeared before him and the profession more broadly.”
Zahra’s family has issued a statement, celebrating the life of their family member.
A statement from the family of NSW Judge Peter Zahra, who passed away yesterday. Those who dealt with him during his long legal career have described him as a “salt of the earth” & “terrific” man. @9NewsSyd pic.twitter.com/bAqVOu0FwF
— Tiffiny Genders (@tiffgenders) May 9, 2022
Before his passing, Zahra was overseeing a court case between singer Guy Sebastian and Sebastian’s former manager.
