Dodgy Judges | Ministry of Injustice

Dodgy Judges

Here are a few examples of dodgy judges, otherwise known as rogue judges, that have been dismissed, disciplined or resigned. Some judges even managed to get criminal convictions.

In my opinion, these judges are almost as questionable as the Sussex Family Justice Board and the Sussex judges HHJ Farquhar, HHJ Bedford and HHJ Lusty !

Judge Constance Briscoe was dismissed from the judiciary in 2014 after being found guilty of perverting the course of justice. She was sentenced to 16 months in prison for lying to the police during an investigation into former cabinet minister Chris Huhne’s speeding points.

Reference: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-28675376

Judge Peter Smith resigned in 2016 after the JCIO began investigating Smith’s conduct in July 2015 about a matter involving British Airways and his luggage.

Reference : https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/law/conduct-probe-into-high-court-judge-ends-with-retirement/5063448.article

Judge Beatrice Bolton. The Crown Court judge who was convicted of failing to control a dangerous dog will face no further disciplinary action after she handed in her resignation..

Reference : https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/judge-beatrice-bolton-quits-after-1340889

4. Judge Heather Perrin was dismissed from the judiciary in 2012 after being found guilty of professional misconduct for deceiving a client in a property deal.

Reference: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20525832

5. Deputy Senior District Judge Tanweer Ikram CBE was issued with a formal warning for misconduct by the JCIO.

The Deputy Chief Magistrate of England and Wales inadvertent ‘liking’ of a post had resulted in a perception of bias. The Lord Chancellor and the Lady Chief Justice were not satisfied that a sanction of formal advice was sufficient in this case as he had caused “significant reputational damage to the judiciary”.

Statement2924-JCIO-Deputy-Senior-District-Judge-Tanweer-Ikram Download

JCIO Disciplinary Statements 2024/2025

JCIO Disciplinary Statements 2023/2024

JCIO Disciplinary Statements are published by year on the JCIO website

A statement will normally be published when a disciplinary sanction has been issued to a judicial office-holder for misconduct.

The Lord Chief Justice and Lord Chancellor may decide jointly to:

issue a statement in any case;

decline to issue a statement in any case;

delete a statement prior to the expiration of the relevant publication period.

Publication Periods

Statements published before 22 August 2022

Statements about cases which resulted in a sanction below removal from office will be deleted after one year. Statements about cases which resulted in removal from office will be deleted after five years.

Statements published from 22 August 2022

The following publication periods apply to statements published from 22 August 2022. Following the outcome of the 2020-22 review of the disciplinary system, statements now contain more detail. The JCIO privacy notice has been updated to reflect this change.

Sanction Imposed Publication Period
Formal Advice Two Years
Formal Warning Four Years
Reprimand Six Years
Removal from Office (except for failure to meet minimum sitting requirements) Indefinite
Removal from Office for failure to meet minimum sitting requirements Five years
JCIO Sanctions and Publication Period

Requesting a Copy of a Deleted Statement

A copy of any statement which has been deleted following expiration of its publication period can be requested by emailing: general.enquiries@judicialconduct.gov.uk

Requesters must state the name of the office-holder. It will also help to locate statements if requesters give as much information as possible about the nature of the conduct for which the office-holder received a disciplinary sanction, and the year in which they believe the statement was published.

JCIO aims to reply to all requests for deleted statements within 10 working days.
Disciplinary Statements – JCIO

These example only represent a small fraction of judicial misconduct cases in the UK. These cases demonstrate the importance of judicial ethics and the need for accountability within the justice system.

The importance of maintaining high ethical standards in the UK judiciary cannot be overstated, and the consequences that judges may face if they engage in misconduct.

While it is important to hold judges accountable for their actions, instances of judges being dismissed for misconduct are relatively rare.

It is worth noting that the vast majority of judges in the UK are ethical and diligent in carrying out their duties. When instances of misconduct do occur, they are usually dealt with through disciplinary proceedings or other forms of corrective action.

Complain about a judge to the JCIO ?

The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) are an independent office which supports the Lord Chancellor and Lord Chief Justice in considering complaints about the personal conduct of judicial office holders.

JCIO Complaint

Here is the complaint I made to the JCIO in November 2020 against DDJ Mills (Deputy District Judge Mills) that was unfortunately dismissed.

a) Was “rude and condescending” and spelt out his name M-I-L-L-S, he:
• “Appeared to have superiority complex by the language used”. He spelt out his name in “an incredibly patronising way”.
• Stated, “I suggest you continue your studies in English Law Mr Watts as you appear to know nothing“.

2021.02.18-Dimissal-letter Download

Amnesia ?

DDJ Mills and Miss Eleanor Harriet Battie of 1 Crown Office Reach (1COR) both appear to have suffered from amnesia. Deputy District Judge Chris Mills continues to sit (fee paid) and inflict himself on the public.

Fortunately for both of them the Court failed in its legal duty to record the hearing. How convenient ! Hearings at the Crown Court and at civil and family courts are always recorded.

“Having searched all the BT Meet Me recordings for the 1st of October it is unfortunate that I have to advise you that there must have been a technical glitch on that day and your hearing was not recorded.“
Brighton County and Family Courts Court Clerk and Court Usher manager

“a particular burden on the court and herself, as an officer of the court, to ensure that everyone involved understood clearly what was being said.”
Eleanor Battie Barrister JCIO

This statement is clearly untrue and misleading

“In the UK, barristers are not officers of the court unlike solicitors”.

It is possible that the JCIO misquoted Miss Battie, but as a barrister Eleanor Battie is bound by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) rules and code of conduct. Ms Battie, I believe, had a duty to immediately apologise for misleading the JCIO and to correct the record. I do not believe that this ever happened.

In my opinion, this is shameful behaviour or legal ignorance by the barrister Eleanor Battie and no doubt in breach of the Bar Standards Handbook 4.8

Read the reviews of Junior Sussex Barrister Gavin Howe and Legal 500 Junior Barrister Eleanor Battie

“He is awful, underhanded and should not be practising law!”

“She is a one-woman legal A Team”

Fair dealing for criticism, review or quotation is allowed for any type of copyright work. All sources acknowledged. Article updated 10th July 2024 to include link to BSB Handbook 4.8 and latest JCIO Disciplinary Statements.