JCIO 15/26

   

A spokesperson for the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office said:

The Lord Chancellor, with the Lady Chief Justice’s agreement, has removed Razina Mir JP of the Greater Manchester Bench from office for failure, without a reasonable excuse, to meet the minimum sittings required of a magistrate.

Facts

On appointment, magistrates sign an undertaking to sit for at least 13 full days or 26 half-days per year and to resign if they fail to do so without an acceptable reason.

The summary process in the Judicial Conduct (Magistrates) Rules 2023 enables a conduct advisory committee secretary to recommend a magistrate’s removal from office without further investigation where they have failed, without reasonable excuse, to meet the minimum sitting requirements of their role.

Mrs Mir’s case was referred to the North-West Region Conduct Advisory Committee after she failed to meet the minimum sitting requirements for three consecutive years. She also had not responded to letters about her sittings.

Mrs Mir’s representations

In her representations, Mrs Mir said she must have missed earlier correspondence about her sittings and explained that a combination of personal circumstances and challenges obtaining suitable sittings had affected her ability to meet the minimum requirements. She noted occasions where court sessions were unavailable or oversubscribed. She apologised and stated that she would seek to improve her sittings going forward.

North-West Region Conduct Advisory Committee recommendation

The North-West Region Conduct Advisory Committee, while taking into consideration the mitigation offered by Mrs Mir, found that she had failed to meet the minimum sitting requirements for the last three years without a reasonable excuse and had failed to respond to repeated opportunities to engage with bench leadership. Despite her stated intention to improve her sittings, she remained on track to miss the requirement again in 2025/26.

Decision

After careful consideration, the Lord Chancellor and the Lady Chief Justice agreed with the recommendation to remove Mrs Mir from office. 
 

Notes for Editors

Media queries in relation to the JCIO should be made in the first instance to the Judicial Press Office - telephone 020 7073 4852 or via email - press.enquiries@judiciary.gsi.gov.uk 

Sanctions for misconduct by judicial office-holders are set out in the Constitutional Reform Act 2005. They are, in order of severity: formal advice, formal warning, reprimand and removal from office.

For more information about the Office, including details on how to make a complaint against a judicial office holder, you can visit the JCIO website at: Judicial Conduct Investigations website