Latest news with #JCIO
BBC News
02-04-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Ten women call for tribunal judge to be investigated
Ten women are campaigning for an employment tribunal judge to be investigated over accusations of bullying and misogyny. The women allege Judge Phillip Lancaster behaved inappropriately in their hearings, and claim the Judicial Conduct Investigations body (JCIO) - which deals with judicial discipline - has failed to address their complaints. Neither the JCIO, nor Judge Lancaster, have commented on the women's McDermott told the BBC she was a "strong, independent" woman but had been left "traumatised and ill" by the way Judge Lancaster behaved towards her during a discrimination case against her former employer in Leeds in 2021. Ms McDermott lost her case, although an appeal judge later found there had been errors in her tribunal and she won some minor she spoke to the BBC last year, other women came forward with complaints about Judge Lancaster.A group of 10 women are now collectively fundraising to pay for legal action to force the JCIO to investigate their Charlotte Proudman, a barrister working on the case, called for a "transparent" system to ensure judges "can be held accountable when they get things wrong". "If there are 10 women that are coming forward in respect of one judge, why is it that he is able to continue without proper – as it seems – due diligence and investigation in respect of his conduct?"The JCIO told the BBC they cannot comment on individual complaints; individual judges are also unable to comment on cases or matters of Lancaster has been an employment tribunal judge since are no publicly available figures for the number of complaints made against individual judges, but in its most recently published annual report, covering 2022-23, the JCIO received 1,620 complaints in over a quarter of those complaints - 27% - related to inappropriate behaviour or comments by judicial organisation said misconduct "remains rare", with around 20,000 judicial office-holders in post across the UK. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Yahoo
Magistrate told off for texting her daughter during court
A magistrate was told off by a watchdog for texting her daughter while court was in session. Jane Bailey JP acted 'improperly' by getting her phone out during court to send the personal text, a disciplinary investigation found. Mrs Bailey insisted that she received an 'important' message from her daughter and replied. She admitted her wrongdoing and has been issued with a warning by the watchdog. The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO), which deals with complaints against judges and magistrates, said Mrs Bailey used her phone during a hearing on Oct 7 last year. 'Following a hearing on October 7 2024, a report was made to the London Conduct Advisory Committee that Mrs Bailey had used her mobile phone to respond to a personal message from her daughter,' a JCIO report said. Using a phone is against magistrate rules. The report said: 'The declaration and undertaking signed by all magistrates on their appointment states that they will be circumspect in their conduct and maintain the good reputation of the magistracy at all times, in their private, working and public lives. 'Additionally, guidance for magistrates advises that devices such as mobile phones should be switched off in court.' Mrs Bailey admitted using her phone and was given a warning. '[She] explained that she had received an important message from her daughter,' the report said. 'In a lapse of judgement, which was out of character, she responded to the message. 'Mrs Bailey accepted that she had acted improperly, for which she apologised. She gave assurances that this had been the only time that she had used her mobile phone in court.' The report added: 'Mr Justice Keehan, on behalf of the Lady Chief Justice, and the Lord Chancellor agreed with advice from the JCIO that Mrs Bailey's actions risked reputational damage to the magistracy. 'In agreeing to issue Mrs Bailey with formal advice, they took into consideration her acceptance of responsibility, her apology and the lack of any previous findings of misconduct against her.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Magistrate given warning for posting Hamas video
A magistrate has been given a formal warning for serious misconduct by a judicial watchdog for sharing on social media a video from Hamas about the 7 October 2023 attacks on Israel. Abdul Malik, who is also a Bristol City councillor and mosque leader, originally claimed he had only been tagged in the post but later accepted he must have shared the post himself. The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) found Mr Malik had "failed to exercise due care and diligence" and his actions "had a detrimental effect" upon the "reputation of the magistracy". The Green Party councillor has apologised repeatedly for the incident and insisted that he does not support Hamas. The party said "he has made abundantly clear that he does not endorse" the contents of the post he shared. In a statement published on Tuesday, the JCIO said the post on Mr Malik's Facebook timeline in October 2023 contained "a video from Hamas regarding their attack on southern Israel". Mr Malik told the media in early 2024 that he had been tagged in the post by someone else, and that it appeared on his account because it was not protected. But this account was challenged and he later informed his superiors that he had "discovered he must have shared the post himself", with an investigation then launched. The JCIO said: "He explained that he had shared the post without checking its source or content, and did not endorse it, comment on it or 'like' it. "He agreed the post was offensive and he emphasised that he does not support Hamas. "He said he had been consistently critical of Hamas in his position as chair of a large mosque in Bristol. He removed the post as soon as he became aware of it and said he regretted sharing it and had learned from the incident." The JCIO said Mr Malik claimed his original explanation was given "in good faith" and that he had revised it when he realised it was not correct. A nominated JCIO committee member found that Mr Malik's initial denial of responsibility for the post "was publicly discredited and compounded the damage caused by the initial sharing of the post". Committee members recommended that Mr Malik be issued with a formal warning, noting his "previously unblemished conduct record and good standing within the community". The added he had been "consistently remorseful" following the incident. High Court judge Mr Justice Keehan, as well as the Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood, agreed with the sanction, the statement added. The Green Party said Mr Malik had "a long history of condemning Hamas in his role in his local mosque". A statement added: "Crucially he has shown learning from the incident and understood the offence and hurt it caused. "Councillor Malik has the party's full backing as an effective and hard-working councillor in Bristol and hopes that this will draw a line under this serious ill-judged action." Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Calls for peace and unity after violent unrest 'Far-right know they'll never succeed in Bristol' Anger and safety concerns over flooded graves
BBC News
26-02-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Magistrate and Bristol councillor given warning for Hamas video
A magistrate has been given a formal warning for serious misconduct by a judicial watchdog for sharing on social media a video from Hamas about the 7 October 2023 attacks on Malik, who is also a Bristol City councillor and mosque leader, originally claimed he had only been tagged in the post but later accepted he must have shared the post Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) found Mr Malik had "failed to exercise due care and diligence" and his actions "had a detrimental effect" upon the "reputation of the magistracy".The Green Party councillor has apologised repeatedly for the incident and insisted that he does not support Hamas. The party said "he has made abundantly clear that he does not endorse" the contents of the post he a statement published on Tuesday, the JCIO said the post on Mr Malik's Facebook timeline in October 2023 contained "a video from Hamas regarding their attack on southern Israel".Mr Malik told the media in early 2024 that he had been tagged in the post by someone else, and that it appeared on his account because it was not this account was challenged and he later informed his superiors that he had "discovered he must have shared the post himself", with an investigation then JCIO said: "He explained that he had shared the post without checking its source or content, and did not endorse it, comment on it or 'like' it. 'Consistently remorseful' "He agreed the post was offensive and he emphasised that he does not support Hamas."He said he had been consistently critical of Hamas in his position as chair of a large mosque in Bristol. He removed the post as soon as he became aware of it and said he regretted sharing it and had learned from the incident."The JCIO said Mr Malik claimed his original explanation was given "in good faith" and that he had revised it when he realised it was not correct.A nominated JCIO committee member found that Mr Malik's initial denial of responsibility for the post "was publicly discredited and compounded the damage caused by the initial sharing of the post". 'Offence and hurt' Committee members recommended that Mr Malik be issued with a formal warning, noting his "previously unblemished conduct record and good standing within the community".The added he had been "consistently remorseful" following the Court judge Mr Justice Keehan, as well as the Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood, agreed with the sanction, the statement Green Party said Mr Malik had "a long history of condemning Hamas in his role in his local mosque".A statement added: "Crucially he has shown learning from the incident and understood the offence and hurt it caused."Councillor Malik has the party's full backing as an effective and hard-working councillor in Bristol and hopes that this will draw a line under this serious ill-judged action."
Telegraph
26-02-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Magistrate shared Hamas video on Oct 7 attacks
A magistrate has been found guilty of serious misconduct after he shared a Hamas video discussing the October 7 attack on Israel. Abdul Malik JP initially claimed that he had been tagged in the video by someone else before admitting that he shared the post himself. The video, which was shared in Oct 2023, reportedly contained an 18-minute talk from a press conference by the terrorist group in which a spokesman described the attack as a 'supremely defensive act' and Israel as 'a cancer that should be eradicated'. Mr Malik, of the Avon and Somerset Bench, insisted that he did not endorse Hamas and has been 'consistently critical' of the group in his position as chair of a large mosque in Bristol. But a committee found that his actions amounted to 'serious misconduct' as Mr Malik 'failed to exercise due care and diligence', both in the sharing of the post and denying responsibility. In England, magistrates are volunteers who preside over criminal and civil cases at Magistrates' courts and family courts. 'Shared the post himself' The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO), which deals with complaints against judges and magistrates, has issued Mr Malik with a warning. The JCIO said that in Oct 2023, a post appeared on Mr Malik's Facebook timeline which showed a video from Hamas regarding their attack on southern Israel. Initially, Mr Malik - who is also a Green Party councillor in Bristol - told the committee that he 'had been tagged in the post by someone else and that it had appeared on his timeline because his account was not protected'. But he later informed the chair, after being challenged, that he 'had discovered he must have shared the post himself'. The JCIO said: 'He explained that he had shared the post without checking its source or content, and did not endorse it, comment on it or 'like' it. 'He agreed the post was offensive and he emphasised that he does not support Hamas… 'He removed the post as soon as he became aware of it and said he regretted sharing it and had learned from the incident.' Mr Malik said his defence was 'given in good faith' and based on his understanding at the time, which he later realises was not correct. The JCIO added: 'He had not initially notified his bench chair of the matter as he did not fully comprehend the potential implications. 'He repeatedly apologised for his behaviour and indicated measures he would take to ensure a similar incident did not occur in future.' Mr Justice Keehan, on behalf of the Lady Chief Justice and with the Lord Chancellor's agreement, issued Mr Malik with a formal warning. The committee said: 'The NCM [nominated committee member] found that Mr Malik failed to exercise due care and diligence, both in his sharing of the post and in his initial denial of responsibility, which was publicly discredited and compounded the damage caused by the initial sharing of the post.' Reputational damage Mr Malik gained media attention after the post was discovered and the committee said he also failed to disclose this matter to the judicial body. The JCIO continued: 'The NCM found that Mr Malik's actions had a detrimental effect upon the dignity, standing and good reputation of the magistracy. 'In recommending a formal warning, the NCM took into consideration Mr Malik's previously unblemished conduct record and good standing within the community, including in his role as chair of a large mosque.'
