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JCIO 18/26
Date: 16 June 2026
A spokesperson for the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office said:
The Lord Chancellor, with the Lady Chief Justice’s agreement, has removed Christopher Dummett 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.
North-West Region Conduct Advisory Committee recommendation
The North-West Region Conduct Advisory Committee recommended Mr Dummett’s removal from office after he failed, without a reasonable excuse, to meet the minimum sitting requirements in each of the two full sitting years since he was appointed to the magistracy. He had also failed to engage with bench leadership. Repeated attempts were made to contact Mr Dummett, including a formal invitation to provide representations regarding his low sittings, but he did not respond.
Decision
After careful consideration, the Lord Chancellor and the Lady Chief Justice agreed with the recommendation to remove Mr Dummett from office.
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
