A magistrate has been issued with a formal warning for misconduct after she was found to have ‘created a risk to court security and to the integrity of an active Crown court trial’.
Lorraine Edwards, of the North and East Hertfordshire bench, was investigated following concerns she had requested the activation of her judicial security fob at a court where she had never sat and used it to access secure areas. She was also alleged to have helped a member of the public to enter restricted areas while she was attending the court in a private capacity.
A spokesperson for the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) said: ‘Magistrates sign a declaration and undertaking on appointment, agreeing to be circumspect in their conduct and maintain the dignity, standing and good reputation of the magistracy at all times.
‘The guide to judicial conduct 2023 states that judicial office holders should avoid situations which might cast doubt on their impartiality or which might expose them to charges of hypocrisy.’
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Edwards accepted she had used her judicial security fob while attending court in a private capacity to provide support to a witness. She said she had facilitated a member of the public entering restricted areas of the court.
The magistrate, who accepted she had made an error of judgment and expressed remorse, stated she had ‘acted out of concern for the witness and their family and mistakenly believed that access was authorised based on prior arrangements’.
An investigation found Edwards had gained access to secure parts of the court for reasons other than to carry out her judicial functions and had also facilitated a member of the public to gain access to secure parts of the court.
A reprimand, the highest sanction before removal from office, was recommended. However Mr Justice Keehan, on behalf of the lady chief justice, and with the lord chancellor’s agreement, issued Edwards with the lesser sanction of a formal warning after taking into consideration that though the potential risk was ‘significant’, no harm to the integrity of the trial had occurred.
