North East Judge Sacked For Watching Porn

17 March 2015, 13:17 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50

Three judges, including one on the North East circuit, who allegedly viewed pornography on official IT equipment at work have been sacked, the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) has said.

The body has announced that District Judge Timothy Bowles, Immigration Judge Warren Grant and deputy district judge and Recorder Peter Bullock have been removed from judicial office. Recorder Andrew Maw resigned before the disciplinary process ended.

The material did not involve children or any other illegal content, but viewing it at work was ``wholly unacceptable'', the JCIO said in a statement.

A Judicial Conduct Investigations Office spokesman said:
``Three judges - District Judge Timothy Bowles; Immigration Judge Warren Grant; and Deputy District Judge and Recorder Peter Bullock - have been removed from judicial office following an investigation into an allegation that they viewed pornographic material on judicial IT equipment in their offices."

``The Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice were satisfied that the material did not include images of children or any other illegal content, but concluded that this was an inexcusable misuse of their judicial IT accounts and wholly unacceptable conduct for a judicial office-holder."

``A fourth judge, Recorder Andrew Maw, was also found to have viewed similar inappropriate material via his judicial IT account."

``The Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice would likewise have removed Recorder Maw had he not resigned before the conclusion of the disciplinary process."

``The judges were not linked in any way.''

The JCIO said Judge Maw worked at Lincoln County Court, District Judge Bowles at Romford County Court, Judge Bullock on the North Eastern Circuit and Judge Grant at the Immigration and Asylum Chamber, First Tier Immigration Tribunal, based at Taylor House, London.

The JCIO said it would not reveal further details of its investigations into the judges' conduct, nor how the allegations against the men came to light, stating this was also confidential.

One of the ex-judges said he had been suffering from ``severe and undiagnosed depression'' at the time of the allegation.

Mr Grant, who now works as an immigration law specialist at a firm of North London solicitors, issued a statement asking for privacy.

He said:
``I am aware of the statement issued today, 17 March 2015 by the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office."

``I do not wish to comment save to say that for some years before, and during, the period covered by the conduct which formed the subject of the complaint laid against me I was suffering from severe and undiagnosed depression."

``I request that the privacy of my family and myself be respected so that we are allowed to continue with our lives.''

According to his LinkedIn profile, Mr Grant was educated at the Royal Newcastle Grammar School and Cambridge University, and has an interest in jazz.