SYBIL E Hibbert, the journalist regarded as the most formidable court reporter in her time, died last Friday at her Sligoville, St Catherine home, following a brief illness. She was 81.

Hibbert is most recently remembered for her popular weekly series “Crimes that rocked the nation” published on Sundays in the Jamaica Observer.

The series which developed a large following, recalled some of the major crimes committed in the past 60 years, supplying pieces of the puzzle scarcely known at the time of the crime and which became an essential addition to the compendium of Jamaican history.

She began reporting for The Gleaner newspaper in 1958 where she stood out for her political and court reporting, during which she was feared and respected by leading politicians and legal luminaries, including prime ministers and chief justices.

Hibbert who was known not to suffer fools gladly, was remembered by her husband, Retired ACP Isadore ‘Dick’ Hibbert as “the best wife a husband could have”.

He said: “She was loving, caring, dedicated, loyal, kind and she stood behind and beside me throughout our long marriage. I could do nothing wrong for her. We kept no secrets from each other.

She was fun-loving, chose her friends carefully and did not indulge in gossiping. I was lucky to get a woman like her.” Hibbert was born in Kingston on August 21, 1933 and grew up in innercity Fletcher’s Land, a fact she was not shy to admit.

She attended the Holy Trinity School and later Immaculate Conception High. She developed language skills and was versed in Spanish, French, German and Latin.

Her first job was as a teacher at the now defunct Boston College on Duke Street, from where she became a civil servant starting at the Ministry of Labour, followed by the Ministry of Education where she was secretary to Education Minister Florizel Glasspole. In 1958 she joined The Gleaner Company where she quickly excelled in court and political reporting.

She did a six-year stint as part of the first team of Hansard writers in Gordon House, gaining a reputation for speed and accuracy. In 1970 she won the Seprod Journalism Award — Special Honour For Critical Court Commentaries”.

Between 1965 and 1975 she was senior court reporter in charge at the Supreme Court. Such was her skill that it is reported that she was late for a speech by Norman Manley and although upset, he started over when she arrived.

On a Fellowship Grant in the United States in 1966, she worked with the Charleston Gazette, West Virginia and toured 10 states, covering stories including race relations on the university campuses and colleges in West Virginia, sittings of the United Nations and the White House during President Lyndon Johnson’s term of office, among other stories.

Hibbert left The Gleaner in 1975 and started her own business, Verbatim Services Ltd which provided paralegal services for big names such as prime ministers Michael Manley, Edward Seaga and PJ Patterson, as well as the JIS, The Gleaner Company, Ian Ramsay and Myers, Fletcher & Gordon, to name a few.

From 1985 to 1986, she worked as administrative legal secretary for the top legal firm of Zander & Associates in Summit, New Jersey where she became the first black to assume responsibility for liaising with the Superior Court judges in Trenton: setting court dates, drafting divorce petitions and affidavits, preparing deeds, wills, real estate documents for closings, correspondence and the like.

Hibbert is also survived by two sons, Hugh and Barry and one daughter, Karen, as well as several grandchildren. Funeral arrangements are being finalised