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Lady Chief Justice says incidents in which the judges become “too common”

Lady Chief Justice says incidents in which the judges become “too common”

A new “Safety Task Group” will be established to assess how to better protect judges as incidents that expose their safety “become too common”, said the highest rank judge in England and Wales.

In a letter sent to the judges on Monday, Baroness Carr Baroness Carr said that in addition to physical incidents she was also “increasingly concerned” by the threats of judges in social media.

This comes when three judges involved in historical proceedings related to 10-year-old Sara Sharif, who was murdered by her father and stepmother in Woking, Surrey, in 2023, were mentioned on Friday after the Court of Appeal annulled the decision of the Supreme Court that this is the decision of the Supreme Court. They cannot be identified.

At the beginning of this month, lawyers for judges raised “serious fears” that they were identified and the risk for their families.

In its letter, seen by the Pahon Agency, Baroness Carr said that the new task group “will determine what improvements can be introduced” to security measures for judges.

She said: “As many of you will be aware, incidents threatening or threatening court safety become too common, both inside and outside, and online, as well as physical.

“Every incident in which your security is threatened is taken with the highest seriousness.

“Among other things, I am more and more concerned about threats in social media and abuse of the judiciary.

“These changes are a product of the modern world in which we live, as well as our growing pursuit of transparency and open justice.”

She continued that the task group would look “not only on threats to physical security in courts and tribunals, but also online threats and abuse, and threats to home and family.”

She added that she was “interested” in a group that would be led by Mrs. Judge YIP, to investigate “whether you can get out of abroad, and consider looking for external tips on expert safety”, for example, with the task of protecting MPS protection.

The letter appears just over a month after judge Williams ruled that three judges and other specialists involved in historical proceedings regarding Sara cannot be identified by the press.

He said that there was a “actual risk” of damage to judges if they were mentioned, because “it would do lightning for all negative attention of virtual mobile linoci” or “anyone who decided to give their feelings in the real world.”

Baroness Carr comments appear when judges involved in historical family court proceedings regarding Sara Sharif were replaced on Friday (Surrey Police/Pa)
Baroness Carr comments appear when judges involved in historical family court proceedings regarding Sara Sharif were replaced on Friday (Surrey Police/Pa)

The judge continued that he believed that family court decisions in the Sara case were “within the limits of what would usually happen to this kind.”

Several media organizations, including PA, appealed against the decision not to allow judges in the interest of open justice.

But Mathew Buy KC, for judges, said in written reports that the three were concerned about their safety if they were identified “in the dominant circumstances”, including “content and often inflammation of public and media comments resulting from intensive control, which occurred from the judgment of the judge Williams. “

He continued: “It is important to emphasize that these fears refer not only to their personal well -being, but also with their family members and other loved ones whose interests may be considered by the court.”

But on January 24, the Court of Appeal ruled that the judges – Alison Raeside, Peter Nathan and Sally Williams – could have been mentioned, stating that Mr. Williams would not commit.

In the court’s ruling, Sir Geoffrey Vos, sitting from Lady Justice King and Lord Justice Warby, said that although the judges should be replaced, “they were not obliged to tolerate intimidation or abusive behavior.”