On the day before his birthday, Sir Andrew Ritchie heard and gave judgment in the bizarre case of R (on the application of Frederick Ayinde) v Haringey London Borough Council [2025] EWHC 1040 (Admin). I have no doubt that reams will be dedicated to this matter, but nevertheless I want to make a few comments.
This is the infamous judicial review in which no less than five fake authorities were cited to the defendant and the High Court. There is no accepted explanation as to where these cases originated. Who or what created them? The finger is pointed at artificial intelligence (AI). No one should ever be citing authorities without first checking their provenance. Dare I say it is also a mighty good idea to read them? No matter how brilliant the headnote, there is no substitute for reading the entire decision within which there might just be buried treasure. The seminal
