More judges have been sanctioned over delays to their issue of judgments and other decisions.
Complaints were raised about employment judge Hugh Travers, who showed a ‘pattern of delay in completing judicial work across several cases’. The delays in issuing judgments, written reasons and case management orders ranged from 11 to 20 months.
Travers was also alleged to have failed to self-report the delays and did not respond to ‘repeated’ attempts by his leadership judge and HMCTS staff to contact him.
The employment judge ‘accepted the facts of the complaint in full and apologised for the delays and their impact’, a spokesperson for the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office said.
‘He stated that the failures arose in the context of significant personal circumstances, which affected his ability to complete work and engage with correspondence.’
An investigation found a pattern of ‘significant’ delay across multiple cases, which together with failures to self-report and respond to correspondence amounted to ‘serious misconduct’. It also noted Travers’ mitigation, including his personal circumstances at the time, his remorse and acceptance of responsibility, and subsequent completion of ‘outstanding work’.
The lady chief justice and lord chancellor issued Travers with a formal warning.
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A complaint was also made about Her Honour Judge Siobhan Kelly. A party to proceedings told the JCIO that, following a hearing in January 2025, Kelly did not hand down judgment until December.
Kelly apologised for the delay and acknowledged it was ‘unacceptable’.
The JCIO said: ‘She explained that the delay arose in the context of difficult personal circumstances and that she had kept the parties informed but accepted that these matters did not excuse the delay.’
An investigation found the delay constituted misconduct. Though there were mitigating circumstances, the delay ‘reflected a failure to exercise the required diligence and care’.
The lady chief justice and lord chancellor issued Kelly with formal advice.
