JCIO 62/25

   

A spokesperson for the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office said:

The Lady Chief Justice, with the Lord Chancellor’s agreement, has issued Recorder David Mason KC with a formal warning for misconduct.

Facts

The Guide to Judicial Conduct states that judicial office-holders are expected to show ‘respect for the law and observance of the law’.

Under guidance issued to the judiciary in 2007, road traffic offences need to be reported to the relevant leadership judge (or bench chair in the case of a magistrate), if on conviction:

• any period of disqualification from holding or obtaining a driving licence is imposed, or,
• six penalty points are ordered to be endorsed on the licence, or,
• if a lesser number of points are ordered to be endorsed, the total points then endorsed on the licence exceeds six.

Recorder Mason KC reported himself to the office of the Lady Chief Justice after he was disqualified from driving for six months for speeding. He reported that the latest speeding conviction had taken the total number of penalty points on his driver’s licence to 12, having had two prior speeding convictions. The matter was referred to the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO).

This matter was dealt with, by consent, under the expedited process in the Judicial Conduct Rules 2023. The expedited process enables the JCIO to advise the Lord Chancellor and the Lady Chief Justice that an office holder should be issued with formal advice or a formal warning where—

a) there is no dispute as to the facts set out in the complaint.
b) the alleged facts relate to conduct which the JCIO considers that the Lord Chancellor and the Lady Chief Justice would be very likely to decide amounted to misconduct; and
c) the JCIO considers that the Lord Chancellor and the Lady Chief Justice would be very likely to decide that formal advice or a formal warning was the appropriate disciplinary sanction.

Decision

The Lady Chief Justice and the Lord Chancellor agreed with the advice from the JCIO that Recorder Mason’s actions amounted to misconduct. They considered that being disqualified from driving for six months after three speeding offences warranted issuing Recorder Mason KC with a formal warning. 
 

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