A district judge has been issued with formal advice for misconduct after she was found to have delayed in producing an order in family proceedings involving a child for 11 months.
District judge Denise Saunders apologised to the complainant for the delay. She said she believed she had drafted and sent the order to the court’s administrative staff and the delay was a result of administrative failings.
The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) said ‘due to IT issues’ Saunders was unable to verify that she had sent the order to court staff.
Following an investigation, the JCIO found that the judge’s conduct in failing to respond to two chaser emails, one sent in September 2023 and the other in February 2024, ‘contributed materially to the delay in providing the approved order’ and amounted to misconduct.
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A spokesperson for the JCO said: ‘The guide to judicial conduct states that judicial office holders are expected to display diligence and care in the discharge of judicial duties.’ The lady chief justice, with the lord chancellor’s agreement, issued Saunders with formal advice for misconduct.
