A choose has been sanctioned after admitting to having intercourse in his chambers over 15 years in the past.
Recorder Paul Kirtley admitted to the judicial watchdog that he had an ‘inappropriate encounter’ along with his then associate 15 years in the past.
His ex, nonetheless, later reported him for the ‘one-off’ fling to the Judicial Conduct Investigations Workplace (JCIO).
Kirtley, a barrister who has been a Recorder since 1999, admitted to investigators that he had intercourse in his judicial chambers.
A ruling by the JCIO, printed yesterday, mentioned: ‘Recorder Kirtley admitted that the sexual encounter, along with his then associate, had taken place as alleged and accepted that his conduct had been inappropriate.
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‘He additionally expressed disgrace and supplied his unreserved apologies.’
The part-time choose had requested for mitigation, provided that it was a ‘one-off, consensual encounter that occurred over 15 years in the past’.
However a choose dominated that Kirtley’s actions amounted to misconduct – having intercourse in a chamber isn’t fairly permitted by their code of conduct.
The Information to Judicial Conduct says judicial workplace holders ‘ought to keep away from conditions which could moderately scale back respect for judicial workplace or would possibly forged doubt upon their judicial impartiality; or which could expose them to fees of hypocrisy by cause of their non-public life’.
In a press release, the JCIO mentioned: ‘The Woman Chief Justice, with the Lord Chancellor’s settlement, has issued Recorder Paul Kirtley with a proper warning for misconduct.’
Formal warnings are one of many lesser sanctions the JCIO can impose, solely issued if an office-holder has ‘acted so inappropriately that they have to be put formally on discover’.
Judges ought to have ‘identified’ that the misconduct might hurt the judiciary’s repute, based on a JCIO handbook.
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