Some 69% of district judges, 58% of district judges in the magistrates’ court (DJMCs) and 53% of senior coroners have concerns about their safety in court.
Last year, family judge Patrick Peruško was assaulted at Milton Keynes Family Court. In her annual press conference last week, the Lady Chief Justice, Baroness Carr expressed concerns about physical and online attacks and advised judges their safety in court is ‘paramount’.
The survey, carried out by the UCL Judicial Institute on behalf of the judiciary and published this week, covers all UK salaried and fee-paid judicial officeholders. An alarming 14% of all salaried judges, 7% of fee-paid, and 13% of coroners said they have experienced bullying in the past two years—‘primarily by undermining judges’ work, overbearing leadership, demeaning or ridiculing language’ and ‘primarily experienced from their own leadership judge or another judge at their court or a local authority official for coroners’.
If bullied, however, they are unlikely to speak out—more than two-thirds who experienced bullying, harassment or discrimination did not report it. They felt it would make no difference and could adversely affect their future career.
While many courts look impressive from the outside, the physical quality of the building is rated poor or unacceptable by 37% of all judges, and by 49% of district judges and 43% of circuit judges. More than three-quarters of judges say stress at work causes them to lose sleep, more than half suffer headaches and more than a quarter suffer ‘intolerance of others’.
Nevertheless, nearly all (93%) judges feel respected by judicial colleagues and almost all (83%) feel respected by their immediate leadership judge.
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