It is thought to be the only case in England where a presiding judge has been shot at in court. He said: "I had made the man bankrupt and he got out a gun and shot two of my staff. "Looking back I was terribly lucky not to have been shot myself. The gun was loaded with six bullets and he shot at about two yards range. He fired three at me at close range but they must have been bad bullets because they didn't hit me and one whizzed right past my ear and went into the portrait behind me. "I still have the painting of the picture of Judge Fraser Harrison in my room with the bullet hole through it. "Oddly enough I didn't think much of it at the time. I had been in the Army and I just acted as if I was his superior and needed to stop him firing so I tackled him. "It was only afterwards that I realised what had really happened." The Liverpool dignitary has an astonishing nine letters after his name including an OBE and the Queen's Order for Brave Conduct. However his name itself has an interesting history. Known as Colonel "Paddy" Graeme Bryson to his friends, his parents called him Paddy after the play Paddy - The Next Best Thing, as the couple had desperately hoped their third child would be a girl. He may have been a disappointment at first, but his astounding success as a soldier, lawyer, judge, academic and prominent Catholic surpassed expectations. He said: "I have met the Pope and the Queen and have been busy all my life. "People used to say I have commanded every regiment in the Army and been the president of every society and that's nearly true.Once the name Paddy was the reason I was in charge of the Irish regiment , even though I'm not Irish at all." Col Bryson has six children and 12 grandchildren. His wife, Jean, whom he knew almost all his life, died 26 years ago. He has written a number of books, including one about Shakespeare's links with Lancashire, and at 75 he started a computer course at Southport college. He said: "There have been lots of highlights in my career and I have had a wonderful wife and family. "I'm still doing things. I was 93 a week ago and give talks on 75 years in the law. When I was 90 I had a big party and had my friend Ken Dodd as my guest of honour." kate.mansey@liverpool.com | 
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