Four English judges go for using work IT for porn

Three English judges have been dismissed, and a fourth has resigned, for viewing pornographic material using their official IT accounts, the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office announced today.

Although the pornography was not illegal in content, the Lord Chancellor, Chris Grayling, and Lord Chief Justice, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, concluded that there had been an "inexcusable misuse" of their accounts.

The cases were not said to have been linked.

in a statement the JCIO said: “Three judges: District Judge Timothy Bowles, Immigration Judge Warren Grant, and Deputy District Judge and Recorder Peter Bullock have been removed from judicial office following an investigation into an allegation that they viewed pornographic material on judicial IT equipment in their offices.

“The Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice were satisfied that the material did not include images of children or any other illegal content, but concluded that this was an inexcusable misuse of their judicial IT accounts and wholly unacceptable conduct for a judicial office-holder.

“A fourth judge, Recorder Andrew Maw, was also found to have viewed similar inappropriate material via his judicial IT account. The Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice would likewise have removed Recorder Maw had he not resigned before the conclusion of the disciplinary process.”

Judge Maw worked at Lincoln County Court, District Judge Bowles at Romford County Court, Judge Bullock on the North Eastern Circuit, and Judge Grant at the Immigration and Asylum Chamber in London.