He was known as one of the fairest solicitors around but now the book has closed on the life of Mullion's Chris Hart.

Chris, who died last week aged 70, was a well known and popular face in the court circuit, acting on behalf of countless defendants over the years and his insistence on fairness earned him the respect of all he met.

His wife Caroline said: "He was 100 per cent straight. He would endeavour always to get to the truth and he would never bully or try to sway anybody. He would be straight down the line. A very fair man."

Born in London, Chris trained in the law and worked in Birmingham for a time, which is where he started to specialise in defence and prosecution work, acting on behalf of the Crown Prosecution Service.

He moved to Cornwall with Caroline in 1988 and starting practising with the Davies Partnership in Helston, also working for a time with Reginald Rogers in Falmouth.

It was not long before he set up his own, however, in his home village of Mullion, setting up the sole practice Christopher Hart Solicitor.

He was a solicitor advocate, which which meant he had the right to speak in both magistrates and crown courts, and while he mainly concentrated on magistrates court work in Truro, Bodmin and also Penzance and Newquay when they existed, he did sometimes appear at Truro Crown Court also.

Chris mostly worked as a defence solicitor, often representing defendants through legal aid, but occasionally acted on behalf of the CPS.

He always said he liked to see both sides, as it kept him balanced.

Caroline added: "He said it was a way to look at everything very fairly. You could not be prejudiced in any way."

Chris had the respect of his fellow solicitors and the magistrates alike.

David Lugg, a former chairman of the magistrates also from Mullion, said: "I always found him a very fair solicitor. He never made excuses for his clients, although he always stood up for them.

"He certainly had the respect of all the magistrates I ever served with."

Chris never retired from his practice and had always hoped he would get well enough to be able to return again, even after his conditioned worsened last November. He was first diagnosed with cancer two years ago and continued to work between periods of illness.

"All the time he was keeping his practice certificates and was hoping against hope he would get back into the business again," said Caroline.

Sadly it was not to be, with Chris losing his battle against the disease last Wednesday.

A funeral to remember him and celebrate his life and work will take place on Monday, June 12 at 2pm in St Mellanus Parish Church in Mullion, with the service open to all. A collection will be taken, which will most likely be given to a medical charity or charities.

Outside of work, Chris loved nothing more than to listen to classical music and jazz of an evening, but it was his family that was his pride and joy: daughter Lucinda and his two granddaughters, Raphael and Aelfrida, who he was devoted to - and they to him.