Sir Nicholas Wall, formerly Britain's most senior family law judge, has committed suicide after being diagnosed with dementia, his family has announced.

Sir Nicholas, 71, was appointed President of the Family Division in 2010, but had to retire on health grounds in 2012. He was initially diagnosed with depression, before recently finding out he had dementia.

His family placed a notice in today's Times newspaper which said he had "died by his own hand on 17th February 2017".

It added: "After years of suffering, he was recently diagnosed with a rare dementia of the fronto-temporal lobe."