A magistrate made ‘serious, unfounded allegations of discrimination’ about several colleagues after they raised concerns about her competence to hear family cases, according to a disciplinary statement published by the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office yesterday.
Jayne Harding JP of the South West London bench was issued with a formal warning.
The JCIO statement says Harding’s authorisation to hear family cases was revoked by the lord chief justice in 2019 after colleagues raised concerns about her competence to deal with such cases. She responded by making serious allegations of prejudice and victimisation against several of those colleagues.
An investigation by the London Conduct Advisory Committee found that the allegations were ‘wholly unjustified and potentially defamatory’. Harding also ignored advice to make her complaints through the appropriate grievance processes.
‘A conduct panel recommended that Mrs Harding receive a formal warning. Mr Justice Keehan and the lord chancellor agreed. In reaching their decision, they took into account that Mrs Harding had failed to accept responsibility for her actions,’ the statement says.
