A magistrate has been issued with formal advice for misconduct after he was found to have used his phone and iPad during proceedings to read and respond to personal messages.

Timothy Nathan accepted he had used his iPhone and iPad to send and receive messages in relation to his self-employment as a professional pilot ‘during the long pauses in the hearing’ in March 2024.

Two magistrates sat with Nathan on the bench. They complained that Nathan had been using his personal devices during the proceedings.

iPad

Nathan accepted he had used his iPhone and iPad to send and receive messages

Source: Alamy

One of the magistrates also reported that they had seen Nathan using his iPad on a separate occasion to send personal messages to his partner, a fellow magistrate, who was sitting at the back of the court, having finished sitting for the day.

Nathan denied that there was any effect on his performance at the hearing or on the dignity of the court. He said the ‘only people affected were the two magistrates who were sitting with him, as no other court users were aware of what he was doing’.

He did not recall the other incident of messaging his partner but confirmed it was possible he had a text conversation on that occasion about travelling home arrangements, the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office said.

It added: ‘Guidance for magistrates advises that all personal email and phone devices should be switched off in court.

‘Mr Justice Keehan, on behalf of the Lady Chief Justice, and the Lord Chancellor agreed with advice from the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office that Mr Nathan’s actions risked reputational damage to the magistracy, if it had become known to other court users what he had been doing.’

Issuing Nathan with formal advice, the JCIO said Nathan had taken full responsibility for his actions and acknowledged his ‘long and previously unblemished conduct record’.