METHUEN - A superior court judge nominated for the state's highest court has her share of critics who accuse her of being too soft on criminals.

Among them is a former Methuen police officer shot in the line of duty, who watched Judge Margot Botsford sentence his assailant to less than five years before being eligible for parole.

"You can't be more liberal than her," Timothy Henrick said of the judge last night. "If she was a victim of crime, she would look at crime a lot different."

Henrick was shot on Christmas Day in 1991. A Lawrence man, Manuel Guillermo, was later sentenced by Botsford to 10 years in prison for the shooting. Botsford credited Guillermo for the 19 months he had served in jail prior to his sentencing, making him eligible for parole 4 1/2 years later.

Botsford has defended her sentences in several cases, including Guillermo's, calling herself a "middle of the road" kind of judge.

Henrick thinks differently - though he's no longer as upset about Guillermo's sentence as he had been years ago.

"I've moved on with my life," he said. "I don't even think of her."

Gov. Deval Patrick appointed Botsford, 60, a Jamaica Plain resident and a Suffolk Superior Court judge, to the state Supreme Judicial Court. It appears likely that her appointment will be confirmed by the Governor's Council today.

During a hearing on her nomination Wednesday, Botsford was questioned about some of the sentences she has handed out over the years, including an eight- to 11-year prison sentence for a former Catholic priest who molested five boys. He could have faced life for the crimes.

If confirmed, Botsford would replace the late Martha Sosman, who died last March.

Henrick said the news of Botsford's appointment did not come as a surprise to him.

"I wasn't surprised at all. Not at all," he said. "We've got a liberal, Democrat governor, so he's going to appoint people just like him."

Henrick had been shot while responding to a burglary, losing two-thirds of his blood within five minutes. He was comatose for a month and in intensive care for nearly three.

Nearly 16 years after he was shot, Henrick, who still lives in Methuen, said he is now "doing well."

"I have a wonderful family," he said. "I'm doing very well."