Carmel was born in Liverpool and was educated at the Convent of Mercy High School, before going on to obtain a Bachelor of Education (hons) degree and later a Master of Education degree from two of the city’s universities.
In her professional life, Carmel has spent her entire career working in the Merseyside Borough of St. Helens. For 33 years she worked as a teacher and Deputy Headteacher before taking up a position in 2014 with St. Helens Local Authority Additional Needs Team. Since 2017, Carmel has worked as an Inclusion Officer, providing education support and advice to professionals working directly with children who have special educational needs in mainstream and specialist settings.
Carmel was appointed as a Justice of the Peace in September 1999. She sits as a Presiding Justice in the Adult Court and she has been a Youth magistrate since 2001.
During her time as a magistrate, Carmel has served on a number of panels and committees including the Domestic Violence Panel, the Licensing/Security Industry Authority Appeals Panel, the Adult Out of Court Disposal Scrutiny Panel, the Bench Committee and the Probation Liaison Committee. She continues to sit on the Out of Hours Warrants Panel and the Crown Court Appeals Panel.
In 2015, Carmel was elected as Deputy Bench Chairman of the Liverpool and Knowsley Magistrates’ Bench and in 2017, following the formation of a single Bench for Merseyside, she was elected as one of four Deputy Bench Chairmen on the Merseyside Magistrates’ Bench.
In April 2020, Carmel took on the role of Merseyside Magistrates’ Bench Chairman. During her three-year tenure as Bench Chairman, she represented the Merseyside Bench on the Regional Magistrates’ Leadership Group, the Judicial Delivery Group and at a variety of judicial and civic events.
In November 2023, Carmel was commended by the Merseyside Chief Constable, Serena Kennedy KPM, for her ‘valuable contribution and support to Merseyside Police in attesting a significant number of new Police Constables, enabling the force to continue to put the Community First’.
As a member of the Magistrates’ Association, Carmel previously served on the Merseyside Branch Executive Committee, helping to organise training events around Serious Organised Crime, Knife Crime, Cybercrime and Mental Health and the Criminal Justice System. Carmel has also assisted with the local heat for the National Mock Trials Competition and has supported a St. Helens secondary school to help them prepare for the competition, which is now organised by the Young Citizens Foundation.
For many years, Carmel has delivered presentations on the Magistracy to Merseyside Police Cadets and the Special Constabulary and she has accompanied groups of cadets on visits to observe the work of the Magistrates’ Courts. She has also been involved in raising awareness of the work of the Magistracy to the Princes’s Trust and to applicants for the Future Civic Leaders scheme as part of Operation Black Vote.
Carmel supports a number of charitable organisations and is a long-standing Patron of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. In her leisure time she enjoys classical music, art, swimming, gardening and foreign travel.
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