A magistrate has been issued with formal advice for misconduct after she failed to treat court users ‘respectfully and courteously’.
Three separate complaints, all similar in nature, were made by court staff about Susan Holcroft. They included allegations that she undermined a staff member in open court by interjecting abruptly, questioned the validity of advice provided by staff, disregarded reasonable requests by staff for more time to be able to prepare or start the court, and raised her voice in court.
The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office said the complaints also included allegations of ‘fractious interactions’ involving Holcroft and the manner of some of her questioning.
Holcroft denied that she acted inappropriately.
In her representations, the JCIO said she ‘questioned why the matters complained of were not raised in a post-court review’.
A JCIO spokesperson added: ‘She believed the complaints wrongly singled her out for decisions and actions taken by the bench as a whole.’
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An investigation found most of the allegations in the first two complaints proved, but a third complaint lacked the specificity required for Holcroft to be able to respond.
Holcroft, who had a previously unblemished conduct record, ‘did not treat court users respectfully and courteously and was not mindful of her position of authority, particularly in relation to less experienced staff’.
The JCIO said: ‘She also showed a lack of self-awareness of how her words and behaviour could affect others. While she may have been motivated by a desire to be an authoritative and effective chair, she did not act professionally and failed to build effective working relationships.’
Mr Justice Keehan, on behalf of the lady chief justice and with the lord chancellor’s agreement, issued Holcroft with formal advice, the least severe sanction for misconduct by judicial office holders.
