The essential humanity of a fine senior judge

Anthony Clarke, then master of the rolls, arriving at the Royal Courts of Justice, London, on 3 October 2005 for the swearing in ceremony. Photograph: PA Images/Alamy

I was sad to read of the death of the senior judge Lord Clarke of Stone-cum-Ebony (Obituary, 27 April) and even sadder to learn that he had suffered from Alzheimer’s. Your readers might be interested in an incident that shows the essential humanity of the man.

When he was master of the rolls, he was invited to a dinner by the Manchester Law Society. On his way back to the hotel after the dinner, he was accosted by a man who emerged from the shadows and asked: “Would you like some speed, or some coke?”