Judge sent 'highly sexualised image' to colleague
GoogleA judge has been removed from office after a complaint he sent a "highly sexualised image" to a member of court staff, a judicial disciplinary body has said.
The actions of Newcastle-based district judge Andrew Simpson were found to be "wholly inappropriate" and "represented a serious failure to meet the standards expected", the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) said.
An investigation was launched after a complaint that Simpson had "behaved inappropriately towards a number of staff".
Simpson acknowledged some of the behaviour was inappropriate, but denied "any improper intent".
He also questioned the motivations of those supporting the complaints, the JCIO statement added.
The complaint alleged he sent photos from social events attended outside work, including the sexualised image.
It also claimed there had been "unwanted physical contact" and "overly familiar and unprofessional conduct", including referring to himself and colleagues in "highly inappropriate terms" in emails sent from his professional account.
'Caused distress'
A disciplinary panel initially recommended Simpson be reprimanded, the most serious sanction short of removal from office, after finding he had "communicated inappropriately" with some staff and that "whilst his intentions were not improper, his actions were seriously misguided".
But Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr and Lord Chancellor David Lammy MP, the Justice Secretary, found Simpson's actions "amounted to gross misconduct which involved a very serious failure of integrity", the JCIO said.
"They noted that Mr Simpson's behaviour was repeated, involved an abuse of his position, caused distress to staff, and had a detrimental impact on the working environment and on the reputation of the judiciary," the body said.
It added his position was "no longer tenable" and removal from office was "the appropriate and proportionate sanction".
According to the courts and tribunals judiciary website, Simpson was admitted to the Roll of Solicitors in 2000.
He began working as a district judge in December 2022, based at the Newcastle Civil and Family Courts and Tribunals Centre.
The JCIO said Simpson claimed his communication style was "informal but consistently polite and friendly", and some of the incidents were attempts to "support or cheer up staff during difficult periods".
But it added that Baroness Carr and Lammy found Simpson's "unfounded challenge to the motivation of those supporting the complaint" aggravated the behaviour, and they were "not satisfied that he had demonstrated sufficient insight into the seriousness of his conduct".
