Court Official Sues Ministry of Justice After Whistleblowing on Magistrate Hearing Cases from Portugal

Chris John, a former court legal adviser, is suing the UK Ministry of Justice for unfair dismissal, alleging retaliation after he exposed a magistrate conducting criminal hearings remotely from Portugal. John revealed that Magistrate Phil Taylor had been dialing into Single Justice Procedure (SJP) sessions at Reading Magistrates’ Court from his home near Lisbon for years, potentially invalidating thousands of convictions. Although senior judges and officials concluded that magistrates should not hear cases from outside the UK, John claims his employer ignored the law and failed to investigate the extent of the irregularity. He further alleged that courts operated under unlawful quotas for SJP cases using MS Teams, despite pandemic-era remote hearing provisions being withdrawn in 2022. John reports facing bullying and professional shunning after raising these concerns with Justice Secretary David Lammy and Courts Minister Sarah Sackman. His dismissal followed a suspension related to an incident involving police and youths, which he argues was pretextual. The case highlights significant legal and procedural concerns regarding the administration of justice and the validity of remote court proceedings in the UK.