Judge speeds to 12 points... but escapes road ban
COURT BOSSES GIVE BARRISTER WARNING OVER DRIVING
A SPEEDING judge who escaped a ban after racing to 12 points has been ticked off by justice chiefs.
Crown court judge Duncan Bould, 60 - who also works as a criminal barrister in Manchester - faced an automatic road ban over four driving offences which included using his phone at the wheel.
He has now been handed ‘formal advice’ following a disciplinary hearing by the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office.
Bould, who sits in North Wales courts and was caught on the wrong side of the law four times between March 2015 and July last year.
He was first caught chatting on his mobile phone at the wheel before being caught speeding in Wrexham six months later.
In April last year, he was caught speeding in a Volkswagen in Manchester, before again being caught three months later doing 55mph on a 40mph stretch on Princess Parkway.
Drivers are usually banned if they get 12 penalty points within three years, but magistrates can choose not to enforce it in ‘exceptional cases.’
JPs in Manchester let him keep his licence on the grounds of ‘exceptional hardship’ in February.
Bould said he needed to retain his licence because of his 13-yearold daughter’s medical condition.
A spokesman for the JCIO said: “The Lord Chief Justice and the Lord Chancellor have issued Recorder Duncan Bould with formal advice after he reported that he had accumulated 12 penalty points on his driver’s licence.”
Three other speeding judges have also been disciplined by the JCIO over the last month.
Employment judge Jeremy Lewis was reprimanded by justice officials after racking up 14 points on his driving licence.
Guildford crown court judge Stephen Climie, 58, was slapped with six points and a £750 fine.
And Recorder Stephen Rubin, based at Reading crown court, had nine points for three speeding offences.