A new magistrate who inadvertently bought a knife into court has been issued with formal advice for misconduct.
Agboola Obanubi, a magistrate on the South Essex bench, entered a court building to attend training and when passing through security was found to have a ‘camping-style folding knife’ in a compartment of his bag.
Obanubi accepted he had attended court with a knife in his bag. He said he had ‘unknowingly left [it] there following a recent camping trip’, a spokesperson for the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office said.
The JCIO added: ‘Mr Obanubi acknowledged the seriousness of the incident and has taken steps to ensure that it does not happen again.’
Mr Justice Keehan, on behalf of the lady chief justice, and the lord chancellor issued Obanubi with formal advice.
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The JCIO said: ‘In making their decision, they took into consideration that Mr Obanubi was a recently appointed magistrate with no record of previous misconduct. He had cooperated fully with court security, engaged with his bench leadership, taken full responsibility for the inadvertent oversight, had demonstrated insight into the seriousness of the matter, and had taken practical steps to prevent recurrence.’
Sanctions for misconduct by judicial office-holders are, in order of severity, formal advice, formal warning, reprimand and removal from office.
