Courier journalist Jim Hislop was ‘the epitome of the court reporter’

Jim Hislop, a former reporter with The Courier, has died. He was 68.

Mr Hislop was one of the first reporters on the scene following the Invergowrie rail crash in 1979 that killed five people.

He was also a popular figure in Dundee’s legal circles, having spent the latter part of his career as a dedicated reporter at Dundee Sheriff Court.

Born and raised in Dundee, Mr Hislop attended Harris Academy.

After leaving school he won a place at St Andrews University to study theology but left after choosing journalism rather than becoming a man of the cloth.

Mr Hislop began his career in 1967 when he joined DC Thomson and Co Ltd’s The Weekly News.

Later, he joined the reporting staff of The Courier and its sister paper the Evening Telegraph. He retired in 2009.

Away from work, he was a jazz aficionado and talented pianist.

George Donnelly, vice-president of Dundee Bar Association, said: “He was the epitome of the court reporter. He was utterly trustworthy.

“He was loved by all the court professionals and everybody to a man and woman is devastated by his death.”

Mr Hislop is survived by his wife Joy.

His funeral is at Dundee Crematorium on Tuesday April 19 at 11.45am.