A magistrate has been issued with formal advice for misconduct over his social media use in which he identified himself as a justice of the peace.
Leslie Wegg, of the Humber local justice area, published two Facebook posts in which he identified himself as a JP. One post appeared on a campaign group thread on family law and referred to his work in the family court.
A spokesperson for the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office said: ‘Judicial office holders are expected to maintain the dignity, standing and good reputation of the judiciary. The social media guidance advises judicial office holders not to refer or allude to their judicial status in their social media profile or in anything posted on social media.
‘The guide to judicial conduct also advises that social media should not be used by individual members of the judiciary to communicate publicly about their judicial work, and that office holders should avoid content which could undermine public confidence in their impartiality.’
Wegg apologised for the posts and confirmed they had been deleted. He accepted he has been ‘slow to keep up with developments in the relevant guidance’.
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The JCIO said Wegg, who has been a long-serving magistrate ‘explained that he had understood magistrates were encouraged to promote the good work of the magistracy’.
An investigation found Wegg contravened the social media guidance by referred to his judicial status in the posts and, in one, to his work in the family court. Wegg’s conduct was found to amount to misconduct ‘because it risked casting doubt on Mr Wegg’s impartiality and risked bringing the judiciary into disrepute’.
Mr Justice Keehan, on behalf of the lady chief justice, and with the lord chancellor’s agreement issued Wegg with formal advice, the least severe sanction for misconduct. ‘They took into account that, while the posts were ill-judged and risked casting doubt on his impartiality, they did not contain offensive material,’ the JCIO said, adding: ‘They also took into account his apology, deletion of the posts, long service and previous good conduct.’
