Three judges removed from posts for viewing pornography at work

In a statement released by the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) on 17 March 2015 it was announced that three judges had been removed from office after they were found to be viewing pornographic material while at work.   The men will no longer be able to hold judicial roles.

The statement made it clear that the material did not include any images of children or illegal content but that their actions constituted ‘an inexcusable misuse of their judicial IT accounts’ and that the Lord Chancellor and Lord Chief Justice considered that this was ‘wholly unacceptable conduct for a judicial office holder’.

The three judges are District Judge Timothy Bowles who sat at Romford County Court, Warren Grant, a judge at the Immigration and Asylum Chamber and District Judge Peter Bullock who also sat as a recorder in the North Eastern region.   Mr Grant has since released a statement that indicated that he had been suffering from undiagnosed depression during the period where he was found to have accessed the material.   He asked that the privacy of himself and his family be respected so that they could continue with their lives.

Recorder Andrew Maw, based at Lincoln County Court, who was also found to have viewed similar material on his judicial IT account, had resigned before the conclusion of the investigation.  However, it was made clear by the JCIO that he would have been removed from his position had he not resigned.