A FAMOUS judge returned to Bolton School to speak about human rights and the Magna Carta.

Old boy Circuit Judge Roy Battersby delivered the 44th Marcus Tillotson lecture to staff and students at the school.

Judge Battersby said the ideas enshrined in the Magna Carta – one of the world's most celebrated documents which heralded modern democracy – are as important today as they were in 1215.

He added that 2011 was the 50th anniversary of the convention relating to the status of refugees, which was created to ensure that the horrors of the Second World War and the Holocaust would never happen.

He also addressed why refugees come to the UK, touching on the strong appeal of the UK’s generous interpretation of Human Rights laws.

The temptation to fight fire with fire, and the opinion of some that the torture of suspected terrorists should be allowed in spite of Article 3 of the Convention of Human Rights, was also featured in the talk.

In closing his talk, Judge Battersby looked to the future and questioned whether the UK will break from the European Convention of Human Rights to create its own Bill of Human Rights.

He said: “Critics of the status quo must answer two questions: which articles of the Convention of Human Rights would you discard, and would you rather live in a country where those rights are not protected by law?”

A spokesman for Bolton School said: "This final enquiry made a thought-provoking end to his fascinating talk, which had touched on so many important contemporary issues."

This year marks the 500th anniversary of education at Bolton School.