A judge who was verbally abused by a defendant reciprocated at a court hearing where he was being sentenced for breaching an antisocial behaviour order.John Hennigan, 50, who had breached the order by using racist language towards a black woman and her two children told Chelmsford crown court judge Patricia Lynch QC that she was “a bit of a cunt”. And Judge Lynch replied: “You are a bit of a cunt yourself.”When Hennigan screamed back “Go fuck yourself”, the judge replied: “You too.” He reportedly also shouted “Sieg Heil” – a pro-Hitler chant used in Nazi Germany – and banged the glass panel of the dock as he was jailed for 18 months.Hennigan, from Harlow, Essex, has dozens of previous convictions for offences including drug and firearm possession and common assault.An asbo was previously imposed on him in 2005 when a swastika was discovered daubed on the front door of his council house.
I can understand the Judge's reaction, but I have never used that word in court, other than in direct quotation from the evidence.
Perhaps a quiet word from the circuit presider might be in order here.
Not the right thing to do I know but good for her I'd say, it won't damaged him in anyway and I hope it does not damage her either (although I am sure she wishes she didn't say it). Its hard to hold it together when dealing with such c**ts!!
ReplyDeleteJudge:"When I go home tonight, I'm going to have a swim. Then I'll take my wife to a posh restaurant. Then we'll sleep in a very comfortable bed. You however will share a cell with a total stranger. Now who is the c**t?"
ReplyDeleteA true story according to the Today Programme, but I have my doubts.
To be judicial for a moment, I think the epithet in this case was "wanker" rather than "cunt", which gives it a tighter relevance to the situation.
DeleteWhatever. I'd heard it before, however the exact wording.
DeleteTrue it is, and I won't quote the full version here. The judge concerned had the nickname of Mad jack and he earned it.
DeleteThen there's Goddard (Rayner, not Lowell, although I wonder if they related. In his day judges did not have a compulsory retirement age and Goddard sat into old age when he was getting deaf. The problem was most severe when witnesses dropped their voices at the end of the sentence - as they often do - and he had to ask counsel to repeat the last few words.
And the witness said "I wasn't having that and I told him to fuck off".
"Told him to what?"
Prosecuting counsel stands up: "Fuck off, my Lord".
Long silence then the old man started cackling.
"Mr X, you are a very fortunate young man. I spent thirty years at the Bar longing to say that and you, young man, will tell your grandchildren about what you have just said to old Goddard".
And indeed he did!
Yes, it's a familiar tale, but I so wish it to be true!
DeleteAS the judge was female I doubt it was true.
ReplyDeleteThis seems gender-neutral to me.
DeleteBut haven't we all wanted to! A recent customer of mine shouted, "I hope you die!" as he was being led away to the cells. Didn't bother me in the slightest. The problem with replying in kind is that you have then invited a back and forth as happened in this case. A vaguely contemptuous stare usually works for me.
ReplyDeleteI've had the same. My reply was "Sadly one day I expect to".
DeleteI have to agree with Bystander. As a Chairman I have also had that word used at me. Best to take a deep breath, let a rant continue because it suddenly runs out of steam. The silence in the court suddenly gets you on side and you can calmly do what you have to do - normally send him down with the officers to cool his heals. Half an hour or so later you will get a message that he would like to return to apologise. You may have started another matter by then but you let him return (but not immediately) and give him the courtesy of hearing his apology and depending on how you view it the matter can end there. Best result all round I think. Herhonour rose to the bait and sadly did herself no favours. I understand a complaint has been made to the Judicial Conduct Office and their response will be interesting.
ReplyDeleteExcept it wasn't "now who is the c..t" but "who is stupid" or similar.
ReplyDeleteThe judge was a woman. She is apparently being investigated for her use of bad language. Whatever she thought, she should have been more dignified in what she replied.
ReplyDeleteAre you saying that women need to be more dignified than men? In this case it was a woman being verbally abused by a man (who usually expects to be able to get away with it and face no consequences due to his male privilege) and the woman in question didn't want to put up with it. I say good on her.
DeleteAs the security in my court is almost non-existent it's very hard to treat someone as being in contempt unless they are already in a secure dock with a jailer. The crown court usually has better security. She should have held him in contempt, left him to cool off for the rest of the day or overnight in a cell, and brought him back later to offer his most humble apology. If he failed to do so, keep him locked up. I was surprised to read that she stopped to his level.
ReplyDeleteExactly. Totally unprofessional on the judges part
DeleteAnd when he emerges really radicalised
ReplyDelete- what then?
I think he is already fully radicalised (but not in the way I suspect you mean) since as he was being led away he happily sung 'Gas the Jews, gas the Jews' - a point oddly lacking from the report above!!
DeleteNobody is suggesting that this particular judge uses this type of language routinely. If what the judge says is supposed to be heard and understood by the defendant, and if the judge has decided that the defendant (in this particular case) has such limited capability to understand that this sort of language is the only viable channel of communication, then I see little harm done. It has probably been some long time since this defendant has been told about what he really is, and in a manner that he might understand. Mind you had she added 6 months consecutive for it, that would have been even better: the less opportunity for contact between this defendant and the general public, the better.
ReplyDeleteAs an Essex man (and brother of a senior police officer for whom Harlow was part of the job), it sounds as if this genius comes from the large, characteristic part of that town. There, language of this type forms a large fraction of the small vocabulary that their tiny minds have capacity for. This might be the first thing this twat ever heard a judge say that he could comprehend.
ReplyDeleteDid we really need to have it explained that Sieg Heil was a pro Hitler chant used in Nazi Germany. Did anyone not already know that?
ReplyDeleteI suspect that Bystander, consummate journalist that he is, knows only too well the answer is, no, they don't..... unfortnately.
ReplyDeleteThere's no need for a Magistrate to reduce themselves to that level.
ReplyDeleteRe John's post of August 11, this is a well-documented story and the full version is credited to a judge at Snaresbrook crown court in East London in the 1980s.
ReplyDeleteHaving been told by a defendant he was an idiot, the judge addressed him as follows:
"Tonight you will go in a van to prison where you will have a full body search, be dressed in someone else's old clothes, given cheese and cocoa. You will be in a cell with at least two others who may not be very clean. You will not see your wife and family except in confined conditions for several years."
"Tonight I shall go home and have a swim in my pool. I shall probably have a glass of sherry and then some wine with the salmon we are having for dinner. After that there will be strawberries and cream and then perhaps a cigar. I shall sleep in my own bed. Now who do you think is the idiot?"
Has this blog died? No posts for weeks.... can someone tell me if it is worth me carrying on checking for new posts?
ReplyDeleteI unusbscribed accidentally and post to get back on. Ignore this.
ReplyDelete