Richard Mawrey QC (left) emerged as an undoubted star of the five- week election-fraud trial.

Mr Mawrey's wit and wisdom often drew laughter from the packed court, particularly his tussles with barrister Jerry Hayes, the former Tory MP appearing for two of the Aston councillors.

Mr Hayes, attempting to implicate Liberal Democrat supporters as the real perpetrators of postal vote fraud rather than Labour councillors, was warned by Mr Mawrey against relying on a "kamikaze defence".

All that Mr Hayes would succeed in doing, the commissioner said, would be to prove even more corruption took place in Aston than hitherto suspected and make it more likely that the election would be declared null and void. "Do not imagine that, as you plunge towards the decks of the aircraft carrier, you will be saved," Mr Mawrey warned.

He also memorably dubbed the warehouse where three Aston Labour councillors were caught by police at midnight surrounded by 275 ballot papers as a "vote-forging factory".

At the start of the trial, Mr Mawrey outlined a fictitious plot whereby "evil henchmen" set upon fiddling postal votes could easily do so since there were no checks in place to prevent fraud.

With a first class degree from Oxford University, Richard Mawrey was appointed a deputy High Court judge in 1965.

He was the Eldon Law Scholar at Oxford and the Albion Richardson Scholar of Grays Inn in 1964.

Specialising in business, European, local government and computer law, Mr Mawrey has been in practice at Henderson Chambers, London, since 1965.

He has acted for banks including Midland Bank, Citibank and Coutts; acted for the Stock Exchange and in cases involving the Financial Services Authority.