A FORMER police detective and a law professor are the newest members of an organisation going back centuries.
Leah Freeland and Dr Peter Minto were sworn in as City of Durham Freeman at a ceremony today.
Ms Freeland, a former police detective who now teaches at a primary school, has become the latest member of her family to join the Drapers’ Company.
Her mother, Mary Hayes, and aunts Barbara Kingston and Pamela Angus, who are also members of the company, while her grandfather John Vasey was one of three brothers who were all freeman.
Dr Minto, a miner’s son who spent most of his early life in Sacriston, was admitted to the Cordwainers’ Guild.
The magistrate of almost 28 years began pursuing a career in education in the 1980s when he started working at Gateshead College.
He completed a law degree in 1993 and in 2004 was appointed senior law lecturer at Sunderland University.
During his career he worked closely with the National Association of Licensed Paralegals (NALP) which awarded him with an award for outstanding life-long service in 2015.
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