Judges
Judges attack hate campaign
Judges have reacted swiftly to condemn as “inappropriate and irresponsible” the publication of their home addresses by a fathers’ campaign group.
In an unprecedented statement, the Judicial Communications Office has said that the “Judgebuster” campaign by the Fathers4Justice pressure group was designed to encourage harassment of judges.
A spokesman for the Judicial Communications Office said: “There is no justification or public interest served in publishing the home addresses or other private details of judges.
“In the case of their court work family judges have to make difficult decisions based on the individual circumstances of a case. By their very nature, these cases are emotional and feelings often run high. However, all parties have the opportunity to express their opinion to the judge in person prior to a decision being made, and the right to seek to appeal decisions.”
The statement was issued yesterday after the Judicial Communications Office was contacted by local newspapers which had received the lists of judges.
On its website Fathers4Justice has listed details of more than 50 judges under the heading “Britain’s worst offenders”. The group castigates the family justice system for being “secretive” and “biased” against fathers when dealing with disputes over contact with children.
(Published by Times Online, September 13, 2007)
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