A district judge has been removed from office after sending a colleague a “highly sexualised image,” making unwanted physical contact with staff and referring to himself and fellow judges in what investigators described as “highly inappropriate terms” — with the Lord Chancellor and Lady Chief Justice overruling a disciplinary panel that had recommended a lesser sanction.
District Judge Andrew Simpson, who was based in Newcastle, was dismissed for gross misconduct after the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office received a complaint alleging he had “behaved inappropriately towards a number of staff.” The JCIO’s investigation found a pattern of behaviour that included contacting staff via text and social media about non-work matters, sending photographs from social events attended outside work — including one containing a highly sexualised image — making unwanted physical contact and sending an email from his official judicial account that referred to himself and judicial colleagues in grossly inappropriate terms.
A disciplinary panel recommended a reprimand — the most serious formal sanction available short of dismissal — but Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr and Lord Chancellor David Lammy concluded that Judge Simpson’s position had become untenable given the seriousness of what had been found. They also identified an aggravating factor in the judge’s response to the proceedings: his “unfounded challenge to the motivation of those supporting the complaint” was judged to have made his situation worse rather than better, and both Baroness Carr and Lammy said they were not satisfied he had demonstrated sufficient insight into the gravity of his conduct.
Judge Simpson accepted some of the allegations but denied having “any improper intent,” telling investigators he had in some instances been trying to support or cheer up staff during “difficult periods.” He described himself as having been “consistently polite and friendly” and questioned the motivations of those who supported the complaints. He did acknowledge that “certain behaviours were inappropriate” and said they would not be repeated.
The investigation found his intentions were not improper but concluded that “his actions were seriously misguided” and that he had failed to recognise the power imbalance between a judge and the court staff working beneath him. The JCIO said his behaviour was “repeated, involved an abuse of his position, caused distress to staff, and had a detrimental impact on the working environment and on the reputation of the judiciary.”
In removing him from office, Baroness Carr and Lammy determined that dismissal was the “appropriate and proportionate sanction.” The JCIO noted in its statement that the Guide to Judicial Conduct makes clear that judges must be mindful of the authority they hold, must not abuse it and must be aware of how their words and behaviour affect others. “Judges are advised to be mindful of the authority they have and careful not to abuse it, and to be aware of how their words and behaviour can affect others,” the office said.
