Recorder with 12 points on driving licence issued with formal warning for misconduct

A judge who committed four motoring offences which resulted in 12 penalty points and a period of disqualification has been issued with a formal warning for misconduct.

Recorder Simon Bickler KC, who apologised and expressed regret, reported his disqualification ‘promptly’ but ‘was unaware of the obligation to report when the points total on his licence exceeded six’, the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office said. At the time, the judge was ‘focussed on caring for two members of his family’.

The judge had committed four motoring offences between January 2021 and June 2023 resulting in 12 penalty points and a period of disqualification from driving.

The JCIO said: ‘Although he reported his disqualification promptly, he failed to comply with the requirement to promptly report that he had accumulated in excess of six points on his licence.’

The guide to judicial conduct, the JCIO said, states that office-holders are expected to show respect for the law and observance of the law and comply with their responsibilities to report offences to their leadership judge. Road traffic offences must be reported to the relevant leadership judge if a disqualification is imposed, six penalty points are ordered to be endorsed on the licence, or if the total points on the licence exceeds six.