‘Troubling' courts service IT bug ‘extremely serious'
HMCTS said there is no evidence to suggest any case outcomes were affected as a result of the issues.
The bug was found in case-management software used by HMCTS and the Social Security and Child Support (SSCS) Tribunal, which handles benefit appeals, is thought to have been most affected, the BBC said.
Referred to as Judicial Case Manager, MyHMCTS or CCD, the BBC said the software is used to manage evidence and track cases, and is used by judges, lawyers, case workers and members of the public.
Documents seen by the BBC show the bug caused data to be obscured from view, meaning some evidence was sometimes not visible as part of case files used in court.
The BBC said a leaked internal report said HMCTS did not know the full extent of the data corruption, including whether or how it had affected cases.
Alex Chalk, former lord chancellor and former justice secretary, said what has happened is 'incredibly serious' and could have involved cases which determine whether a child is taken into care.
'So unbelievably serious. And, so the whistle blowers indicate, it could potentially have bled into other tribunals as well, whether it deals with divorce and so on.
'And the thing that is so troubling is that this report evidently got on to the desk of the senior leadership of HMCTS in March 2024 when I was in office, and it was never brought to my attention.
'And I am incredibly troubled by that, because any lord chancellor, of any stripe, if they discover that there's potentially a situation in the courts which is leading to injustice, then you will immediately want to investigate that, and yet in effect that was covered up and I'm afraid I think that is extremely serious,' Mr Chalk told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
The BBC said several sources within HMCTS have likened the situation to the Horizon Post Office scandal.
Mr Chalk was asked on the Radio 4 Today programme if what has happened could be compared to the Post Office scandal, and he said: 'It could be.'
An HMCTS spokesperson said: 'Our internal investigation found no evidence that any case outcomes were affected as a result of these technical issues.
'The digitisation of our systems is vital to bring courts and tribunals into the modern era and provide quicker, simpler access to justice for all those who use our services.
'We will continue to press ahead with our important modernisation.'
It is understood that while the bug resulted in some documents not being accessible to users on the digital platform, they were in fact always present on the system.
It is also understood that because of a number of 'fail-safes', parties and judges involved in these cases always had access to the documents they needed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
Bihar SIR: New India state voters' list still has wrong photos and dead people
A few days ago, India's Election Commission released updated draft electoral rolls for Bihar state, where key elections are scheduled for November, following a month-long revision of the voters' opposition parties and election charities say the exercise was rushed through - and many voters in Bihar have told the BBC that the draft rolls have wrong photos and include dead Special Intensive Revision - better known by its acronym SIR - was held from 25 June to 26 July and the commission said its officials visited each of the state's listed 78.9 million voters to verify their details. It said the last such revision was in 2003 and an update was new draft rolls have 72.4 million names - 6.5 million fewer than before. The commission says deletions include 2.2 million dead, 700,000 enrolled more than once and 3.6 million who have migrated from the are open until 1 September, with over 165,000 applications received. A similar review will be conducted nationwide to verify nearly a billion voters. But opposition parties have accused the commission of dropping many voters - especially Muslims who make up a sizeable chunk of the population in four border districts - to aid Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming state poll body and BJP have denied the allegations. In response to the BBC's questions, the Election Commission shared its 24 June order on conducting the SIR and a 27 July press note outlining efforts to ensure no eligible voter was "left behind"."Further, [the commission] does not take any responsibility of any other misinformation or unsubstantiated allegations being floated around by some vested interests," it added in the response. The commission has not released the list of deleted names or given any break-up according to religion, so it's not possible to verify the opposition's concerns.A review by Hindustan Times newspaper found high voter deletions in Kishanganj, a district with the largest share of Muslims in Bihar, but not in other Muslim-dominated constituencies. Parliament has faced repeated adjournments as opposition MPs demand a debate on what they call a threat to democracy. Outside, they chanted "Down down Modi", "Take SIR back" and "Stop stealing votes". The Supreme Court is also reviewing the move after watchdog ADR questioned its timing."It comes just three months before the assembly elections and there has not been enough time given to the exercise," Jagdeep Chhokar of ADR, told the BBC."As reports from the ground showed, there were irregularities when the exercise was being conducted and the process of data collection was massively faulty," he ADR has argued in court that the exercise "will disenfranchise millions of genuine voters" in a state that's one of India's poorest and is home to "a large number of marginalised communities".It says the SIR shifts the burden onto people to prove their citizenship, often requiring their own and their parents' documents within a short deadline - an impossible task for millions of poor migrant workers. While the draft roll was being published, we travelled to Patna and nearby villages to hear what voters think of SIR. In Danara village, home to the poorest of the poor known as Mahadalits, most residents work on farms of upper-castes or are unemployed. Homes are crumbling, open drains line the narrow lanes and a stagnant puddle near the local temple has turned residents had little to no idea about SIR or its impact, and many weren't sure if officials had even visited their homes. But they deeply value their vote. "Losing it would be devastating," says Rekha Devi. "It will push us further into poverty."In Kharika village, many men said they'd heard of SIR and submitted forms, spending 300 rupees (£3.42; £2.55) on getting new photos taken. But after the draft rolls came out, farmer and retired teacher Tarkeshwar Singh called it "a mess". He shared pages showing his family's details - pointing out errors, including the wrong photo next to his name."I have no idea whose photo it is," he says, adding that his wife Suryakala Devi and son Rajeev also have wrong pictures. "But the worst is my other son Ajeev's case - it has an unknown woman's photo."Mr Singh goes on to list other anomalies - in his daughter-in-law Juhi Kumari's document, he's named as husband in place of his son. Another daughter-in-law, Sangeeta Singh, is listed twice from the same address - only one has her correct photo and date of of his relatives and neighbours, he says, have similar complaints. He points out the name of a cousin who died more than five years back but still figures on the list - and at least two names that appear twice."There's obviously been no checking. The list has dead people and duplicates and many who did not even fill the form. This is a misuse of government machinery and billions of rupees that have been spent on this exercise." Mr Chhokar of ADR says they will raise these issues in the Supreme Court this week. In July, the court said it would stay the exercise if petitioners produce 15 genuine voters missing from the draft rolls."But how do we do that since the commission has not provided a list of the 6.5 million names that have been removed?" he Chhokar says a justice on the two-judge bench suggested delinking the exercise from upcoming elections to allow more time for a proper review."I'll be happy with that takeaway," he SIR and draft rolls have split Bihar's parties: the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) questions them, while the ruling Janata Dal (United) - BJP alliance backs them."The complexity of this revision has left many people confused," says Shivanand Tiwari, general secretary of the RJD. Tiwari questions the Election Commission's "claims that 98.3% electors have filled their forms" and says "in most villages, our voters and workers say the Block Level Officer (BLO) - generally a local schoolteacher appointed by the commission to go door-to-door - did not visit them. Many BLOs are not trained and don't know how to upload forms". (The commission has said the BLOs have worked "very responsibly".) Tiwari alleges that the "commission is partisan and this is manipulation of elections"."We believe the target are border areas where a lot of Muslims live who never vote for the BJP," he BJP and the JD(U) have rejected the criticism, saying "it's entirely political"."Only Indian citizens have the right to vote and we believe that a lot of Rohingya and Bangladeshis have settled in the border areas in recent years. And they have to be weeded out from the list," said Bhim Singh, a BJP MP from Bihar."The SIR has nothing to do with anyone's religion and the opposition is raising it because they know they will lose the upcoming election and need a scapegoat to blame for their loss," he chief spokesperson and state legislator Neeraj Kumar Singh said "the Election Commission is only doing its job"."There are lots of voters on the list who figure twice or even three times. So shouldn't that be corrected?" he asks.
Metro
10 hours ago
- Metro
Biggins claims he wants to 'grab women' in bizarre defence of Gregg Wallace
Christopher Biggins has spoken out in defence of Gregg Wallace following his axing from the BBC. The MasterChef host was sacked earlier this year, with the Beeb vowing never to work with him again after several allegations of sexually inappropriate behaviour were made. After an investigation was carried out, 45 out of the 83 accusations against Wallace were upheld, with one including unwanted physical contact', while co-presenter John Torode was also found to have used racist language, of which he claims to have no recollection. Consequently, both hosts were let go, sending MasterChef's latest series into carnage. Now, in the aftermath of the scandal, fellow TV personality Biggins has reflected on his own past behaviour, admitting that some of it would likely 'land him in prison' today. The 76-year-old pantomime star, who is gay, claims that 25 years ago, 'everyone' was doing things they shouldn't. He told The Sun: 'Years ago, I would approach a woman from behind and grab her t***ies from the front. Well, I'm gay, so it didn't matter. And I'd like to still be doing it, but I don't think I can anymore.' Biggins, who appeared on Celebrity MasterChef in 2014, added: 'If I were to do that now, I'd be put into prison. 25 years ago, we were all doing it. It was a thing of affection.' The I'm A Celebrity campmate proceeded to declare solidarity with Wallace, 60, who has been married to Anne-Marie Sterpini since 2016. 'I love Gregg, and I love his wife. I've tried to get hold of her because they must be going through a terrible time, because suddenly careers are vanishing; it's so wrong.' Throughout his lengthy career in showbiz, Biggins has had his own fair share of controversies, most notably during his Celebrity Big Brother stint. In 2016, he entered the house alongside the likes of Stephen Bear, Frankie Grande, James Whale, and Samantha Fox. He was ultimately removed from the house, having received warnings on several occasions for offensive language. The final incident involved Biggins calling AIDS a 'bisexual disease'. Upon his ejection, he said he was 'very sorry and very sad', but his £100,000 fee was reportedly still slashed. These days, Biggins continues his theatre and comedy work and maintains an active social media presence. As for Wallace, he has continued to pledge his innocence since the allegations against him surfaced, insisting that the most serious claims were unproven in the legal review. The TV chef has also alleged that the BBC's production team discriminated against him due to his autism, having been formally diagnosed only recently. Friends of Wallace have also said that his 'autistic hypersensitivity' meant that he had an 'oddity of filters and boundaries', leading to his 'inability to wear underwear'. Such statements have repeatedly been shot down by autistic charities and campaigners, with a spokesperson for the National Autistic Society telling Metro last month: 'Every autistic person is different, just like every non-autistic person is different, so it is important not to generalise or make judgements based on the actions, words, or behaviour of any one individual.' The latest series of MasterChef, which was recorded before the scandals emerged, is currently on air but has been dealt a huge blow in loss of viewers due to Wallace and Torode, 59, hosting. More Trending Just under two million people tuned in to the first episode, which is a significant drop from last year's premiere, which saw 2.7m watch overnight. It remains to be seen whether the Torode Celebrity MasterChef series, alongside Grace Dent, or the two festival specials he is set to feature in, will still be released. The BBC has yet to announce who will be replacing Wallace and Torode, who have fronted the cooking programme since 2005. Currently, the favourites are Saturday Kitchen's Matt Tebbutt and Great British Menu's Andi Oliver. A report by law firm Lewis Silkin found there were 27 substantiated claims against Wallace relating to alleged incidents during this period, most of which related to sexually explicit comments. One allegation of unwanted physical contact during this timeframe was also substantiated. The report found that when concerns were reported to the production company during this period, there was a failure to retain records of any action taken. The report found that 17 upheld allegations relate to this period. In 2015, the production company behind MasterChef investigated an allegation about Wallace's behaviour, but he was not made aware of the complaint. The following year, the production company merged with Endemol, and more formal policies, regular training, and anonymous reporting lines were introduced. The BBC intervened in response to a complaint in 2017, following which Wallace was warned of the need to change his behaviour. One substantiated complaint about an inappropriate comment fell into this period. Wallace faced allegations of inappropriate sexual comments from 13 people across a range of shows over 17 years, BBC News reported. The TV star stepped away from presenting MasterChef while Banijay, the show's production company, announced that it was conducting an external review to 'fully and impartially investigate' the claims. BBC News said allegations include the presenter 'talking openly about his sex life, taking his top off in front of a female worker saying he wanted to "give her a fashion show", and telling a junior female colleague he was not wearing any boxer shorts under his jeans'. The charity Ambitious About Autism said it had dropped Wallace as an ambassador, citing the 'recent allegations'. Banijay UK confirmed it appointed law firm Lewis Silkin to lead the investigation into Wallace's alleged behaviour. Wallace said in a video posted to Instagram that accusations about him making sexual comments towards staff and guests have come from 'middle-class women of a certain age'. Downing Street said Wallace's response to the accusations being made against him was 'inappropriate and misogynistic'. A spokesperson added that Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy had held talks with BBC bosses in the wake of the Wallace row. Following the backlash, Wallace apologised for any 'offence' or 'upset' he caused with his remarks and said he would 'take some time out'. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said politicians should be ready to put in place 'mechanisms' that would instil 'confidence' that women will be taken seriously in reports of inappropriate behaviour after a Labour MP asked him about 'women of a certain age', reflecting comments Wallace apologised for. MasterChef co-presenter John Torode said in a social media post that he 'loves being part of' the programme and 'will continue to be a part of it'. Wallace told the Daily Mail he 'thought about suicide all the time' after allegations of misconduct were made against him. Wallace was sacked as MasterChef presenter following the inquiry into his alleged misconduct by production company Banijay. BBC News said it had not seen the final review from Banijay but understood the presenter had been sacked. In an Instagram post, the former greengrocer claimed he had been cleared of the 'most serious and sensational accusations' ahead of the published review. He also said he recognised that some of his humour and language were inappropriate 'at times' and apologised for this. The report by law firm Lewis Silkin for Banijay is published. It says that a total of 45 out of the 83 allegations made against Wallace during his time on the show were substantiated, including one allegation of 'unwelcome physical contact'. It concludes that the 'majority of the substantiated allegations against Mr Wallace related to inappropriate sexual language and humour', adding that 'a smaller number of allegations of other inappropriate language and being in a state of undress were also substantiated'. In the wake of the report's findings, Banijay say that 'Wallace's return to MasterChef (is) untenable'. View More » MORE: Comedian reveals he 'got cameraman sacked for filming up female colleague's skirt' MORE: Strictly in fresh scandal after staffer claims they were 'offered cocaine by show star' MORE: Gladiators star Steel reveals medical procedure contributed to newborn son's death
The Guardian
11 hours ago
- The Guardian
Blocking access to BBC Sounds for listeners outside the UK is a disaster
I am writing to express my deep frustration at the BBC's recent decision to block international access to its BBC Sounds platform. Since 21 July, listeners outside the UK have been cut off from a vast archive of cultural and educational programming – material that, until now, represented the BBC's global public service mission. As a primary school teacher and an English language educator based outside the UK, I feel this decision as a personal and professional loss. For years, I have used BBC Sounds to access authentic, native-level English content that helped me improve my listening skills and bring real-world language into my classroom. It was an extraordinary free tool – one that supported both lifelong learning and international cultural exchange. Now, the only way for non-UK users to continue accessing these resources is to use a VPN and invent a UK postcode – effectively forcing us to lie. Is this truly in line with the BBC's values? The BBC has long been a trusted global institution. This decision damages that trust. It reduces cultural access, harms language learners, educators and researchers, and undermines the very values the BBC claims to uphold. Surely there must be a more respectful way to manage licensing restrictions than simply turning away the Simón Gil GilAlmendralejo, Spain
