Fermanagh-born lawyer Richard Ferguson, who represented Rose West, wife of serial killer Fred West, and appeared in a host of other high profile trials has died at the age of 73.

The well-known barrister, who passed away at London Bridge Hospital on Sunday, also represented IRA Brighton bomber Patrick Magee and successfully defended two British soldiers accused of war crimes in Iraq.

As a lawyer he was a member of the Carmelite Chambers in London and its web site carries a quote about him stating: "He is God - he has the kind of voice that could read the jury a phonebook and they would listen." He was born in Derrygonnelly, where his father, Wesley, was a police sergeant. He attended Methodist College in Belfast.

As a boy he watched his uncle, Cecil Ferguson, run Ferguson's Solicitors in Enniskillen, which his cousin, Raymond Ferguson, went on to lead.

In an interview in The Impartial Reporter in 2007 he revealed that he had initially thought of becoming a journalist.

"But then my English mark wasn't quite as good as I hoped for and I decided to do law," he said.

He said he was drawn to law by The Winslow Boy: Terence Rattigan's play about a young naval cadet, wrongly accused of stealing, who is cleared by the efforts of a brilliant lawyer.

"What has always driven me has been the desire to stand up for the little man and take on the powers of the state and, where possible, secure a verdict of not guilty," he explained.

"What I always wanted to do was to take on the unpopular client and to demonstrate that the popular conception of the case was wrong," he added.

He became a barrister in Belfast in 1973.

Much of his early work was in Fermanagh where he quickly made a name for himself, first in insurance cases and then in criminal work.

In common with several other members of the Ferguson family he went into politics, taking a seat in 1968 for the Ulster Unionist party in South Antrim in the then Stormont parliament.

He was a strong supporter of Prime Minister Terence O'Neill's well-meaning but ineffectual attempts to reform unionism and improve community relations. According to a Catholic contemporary: "He was personally very liberal, totally devoid of any sectarianism." The Diplock courts that were set up to overcome jury intimidation in terrorist trials saw him represent IRA members, loyalists, soldiers and policemen.

"For the British Army I defended two SAS soldiers accused of the murder of a young mentally handicapped boy in County Antrim and they were acquitted. I also represented(IRA member) Eddie Brophy, who was acquitted of the La Mon bombing," he recalled.

"It was amazing I wasn't shot," he said.

However, his home in Lisburn was bombed.

"I think it was more to do with my political career rather than my legal career. But I think it is telling that the police never could work out which side had done it," said Mr. Ferguson. "I am very ecumenical. No one was ever able to pigeonhole me," he added.

He left Northern Ireland in 1983, probably for personal reasons, and moved to London where he became a barrister in 1986.

He may have forsaken a career in journalism but his cases regularly made front page news.

He represented property tycoon Nicholas Van Hoogstraten, Richard Branson of Virgin, Afghan airplane hijackers, the Birmingham Six, Guinness boss Ernest Saunders and boxer Terry Marsh. He regretted, he once said, not having the chance to defend Michael Jackson.

His most notorious client was Rose West, jailed for life for helping her husband, Fred, murder 10 girls at their home in Gloucester.

He believed it was a miscarriage of justice.

"It's inevitable in a case like that that you will have trial by media but that means people are prejudiced right before the case has started. She should have been acquitted on a number of the charges but I was realistic as to the outcome," he stated.

Away from the courts he was keen on walking, climbing and Arsenal football club.

He married twice, in both cases to lawyers. His first marriage was to solicitor Janet Magowan while his second was to barrister Roma Whelan.

He is survived by ex-wife Janet, wife Roma and by four children from his first marriage, Catherine, Richard, William and James, and a son, Patrick, from his second.

The funeral service will be held at Gray's Inn, London, tomorrow(Friday) morning.