THE HAGUE, Netherlands, July 1 (UPI) -- Richard May, the former lead judge in the war crimes trial of ex-Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic, has died. He was 65.
May stepped down from the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia at The Hague in February because of ill health. No details of the cause of death were released.
May gained publicity for keeping the war crimes suspect in order and even turning off his microphone when Milosevic delivered rambling political speeches, Sky News said.
His resignation prompted speculation Milosevic, who refuses to recognize the court's legitimacy, might demand a new trial. However, the former Yugoslav president did not make such a demand and is due to open his defense next week.
In one exchange early in the trial, May asked Milosevic whether he wished the full 32-page indictment, charging him with crimes committed in Kosovo in 1999, to be read out.
Milosevic responded: "That's your problem."
May was replaced on the bench by Britain's Iain Bonomy, who joined Patrick Robinson of Jamaica and South Korean Judge O-Gon Kwon.
