JCIO 32/26

   

A spokesperson for the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office said:

The Lady Chief Justice, with the Lord Chancellor’s agreement, has issued District Judge (Magistrates’ Courts) Stephen Leake with a formal warning for misconduct.

Facts

The Guide to Judicial Conduct states that judicial officeholders are expected to display diligence and care in the discharge of judicial duties. The JCIO received a complaint concerning a delay exceeding eight months in Judge Leake issuing a ruling following a Newton hearing. The complaint further alleged that Judge Leake had indicated deadlines for issuing his ruling on several occasions but failed to adhere to those timeframes, resulting in the adjournment or vacation of sentencing hearings.

District Judge (MC) representations

Judge Leake did not respond to the JCIO’s request for representations.

Nominated judge’s findings and recommendation

Following an investigation under the Judicial Conduct Rules 2023, a nominated judge found that Judge Leake’s prolonged delay demonstrated a failure to display the diligence and care expected of a judicial officeholder and amounted to misconduct. The nominated judge further found that this conduct was compounded by the judge setting deadlines for himself which he then failed to meet. In recommending that he be issued with formal advice, the nominated judge considered previous disciplinary findings, including the sanction imposed and representations received from Judge Leake in relation to a recent 2026 matter concerning judicial delays.

Decision

After a careful review of the nominated judge’s findings, the Lord Chancellor and the Lady Chief Justice concluded that formal advice would not adequately reflect the seriousness of the misconduct in this case. They therefore agreed to issue Judge Leake with a formal warning. In reaching this determination, they had regard to Judge Leake’s repeated failure to comply with deadlines, and his failure to respond to communications from the parties and the JCIO. They also took account of Judge Leake’s prior disciplinary history involving similar misconduct and the consequential impact of this conduct on court users and the administration of justice. 
 

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