lord scarman  93  dies peacefully distinguished lawyer lord scarman  who conducted the inquiry into the 1981 brixton riots  has died aged 93.  the peer enjoyed a celebrated judicial career  serving as law commission chairman in its first seven years. he also chaired the 1969 tribunal set up to investigate civil disturbances in northern ireland. paying tribute  the lord chancellor lord falconer said lord scarman was one of the  great advocates of our generation .   his legacy from his decisions in the lords and the court of appeal is substantial.  his work in the wake of the brixton riots and his commitment to the vulnerable and dispossessed was second to none.   a great judge  a great lawyer and a great man.  lord scarman s nephew george ritchie said the peer  who passed away peacefully on wednesday  would be  sadly missed .  the lord chief justice  lord woolf  who is the most senior judge in england and wales  said it was lord scarman s  pioneering work  which paved the way for the human rights act 1998.  he was a lawyer and a judge who had a remarkable insight into human nature  and an exceptional sensitivity to the needs of a healthy society   he said.  he was  personally  totally charming and he will be remembered with great affection and admiration by all who came into contact with him.   dame elizabeth butler-sloss  the president of the family justice division  said lord scarman was a  good and humane judge  and one of the greatest figures of the late 20th century. lord scarman will be remembered for the public inquiry he led into a string of race riots which began in brixton when racial tensions rose after a police crackdown on street robbery. during the following three days of disturbances that spread to the midlands  merseyside  bristol and leeds  nearly 400 people were injured and buildings and vehicles were set alight.  the inquiry famously settled on the so-called  rotten apples  theory  which argued that only a few police officers were racist  saying most were not. it spawned new law enforcement practices and led to the creation of the police complaints authority. trevor phillips  chair of the commission for racial equality  praised lord scarman s  ability to listen . he said:  when lord scarman toured the streets of brixton his presence was electrifying.  a community which had been systematically ignored by everyone else was suddenly embraced by the epitome of the english establishment.  his great quality was the ability to listen to young people of all backgrounds  many of whose language he could barely understand  genuinely to hear what they had to say and to talk to them as human beings.  he never lost the special combination of wisdom  humanity and the spark of radicalism that marked his watershed report into the brixton riots.