It’s enough to make you curse!
Woman judge who swore back at racist thug after he hurled abuse faces a probe into HER conduct
A JUDGE who called a racist thug ‘a bit of a **** ’ after he launched a foul-mouthed tirade at her in court is facing an official investigation over her remarks.
Judge Patricia Lynch, QC, received widespread praise for the robust way she dealt with John Hennigan when sentencing him for his ninth breach of an anti-social behaviour order in 11 years.
But she was placed under official investigation by the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office after it received several complaints about her choice of language in court earlier this week.
During sentencing, the 50-year-old defendant told her she was a ‘bit of a **** ’, to which she responded: ‘You are a bit of a **** yourself. Being offensive to me does not help.’
Hennigan, who has convictions for 47 offences involving racism and anti-social behaviour, then shouted back: ‘Go f*** yourself’, to which the judge replied: ‘You too.’
After the extraordinary exchange, Hennigan banged on the glass panel of the dock before performing a Nazi salute. He twice shouted ‘Sieg Heil’ and then started to sing: ‘Jews, gas them all.’ Judge Lynch was unperturbed and, speaking in a measured tone, simply turned to the guards and said sarcastically: ‘We are all really impressed. Take him down.’
Thousands of people have written messages on internet forums and social media in support of the judge, with many branding her a ‘hero’ and an ‘idol’.
On Twitter, Greg Stone wrote: ‘Judge Patricia Lynch, a nation salutes you.’ And Luke Farley wrote: ‘Hats off to Judge Patricia Lynch. I think it was a reasonable response given the vile racist in front of her.’ Her conduct in Chelmsford Crown Court in Essex was widely praised in legal circles.
Leading criminal barrister John Cooper QC said: ‘This is a judge in the real world. What we want from judges, in my view, is normality.
‘It’s refreshing to have a judge who isn’t stuffy. The individual was acting in a quite appalling way and was lucky not to be on a contempt of court charge.’
Mark Fenhalls QC, chairman of the Criminal Bar Association, added: ‘Judges face huge pressures in their daily work, often dealing with unsavoury people and situations. We all aim to control our emotions in court, but it is hardly surprising that once in a while even the most respected and measured judge is provoked into saying something aloud that everyone else present might just have been thinking.’
Fellow lawyer Matthew Scott, author of legal comment website Barrister Blogger, said that speaking to a defendant in a language they understand is sometimes justified. ‘As a general rule, it’s probably not a good idea for judges to call defendants **** s in the courtroom, but for every rule there’s an exception,’ he added.
Hennigan, from Harlow, Essex, was jailed for 18 months on Tuesday after pleading guilty to breaching his Asbo again in April last year when he made racist comments to a black woman shopper and her children in the town.
Judge Lynch has declined to comment.