JCIO 99/25

   

A spokesperson for the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office said:

The Lady Chief Justice, with the Lord Chancellor’s agreement, has issued Mr Justice Derek Sweeting for a formal warning for misconduct.

Facts

The JCIO received two separate complaints from legal representatives regarding significant delays by Mr Justice Sweeting in handing down judgments in two cases.

The first complaint related to a hearing which took place in July 2024 with the final judgment handed down approximately eleven months later. The same complainant also alleged that a draft judgment circulated in June 2025 contained serious inaccuracies suggestive of serious irregularity in the drafting process, such as the possible use of artificial intelligence (AI).

The second complaint concerned a hearing in October 2024 with the final judgment circulated approximately eight months later. The complainant alleged that this delay caused substantial practical, procedural and financial detriment.

Mr Justice Sweeting’s representations

The Judge accepted the delays, citing various reasons including workload pressures and personal circumstances during summer 2024.

In relation to the first complaint, he accepted that serious drafting errors occurred and explained they arose from mistakes made under pressure and were not indicative of having used AI in relation to the judgment. He added that he had since caught up with his outstanding judgments.

Nominated judge’s findings

Following an investigation under The Judicial Conduct Rules 2023, a nominated judge found that the delays amounted to misconduct.

While the drafting errors referred to in the first complaint were serious and required correction, they did not independently constitute misconduct; rather, they formed part of the overall lack of diligence associated with the delay. The nominated judge found no evidence that AI had been used in producing the judgment.

In recommending a sanction of formal warning, the nominated judge noted that the Judge had received a sanction of formal advice for a delayed judgment in September 2023 and had not expressed remorse for the delays or the errors in one of the judgments.

Decision

The Lord Chancellor and the Lady Chief Justice accepted the nominated judge’s recommendation and issued the Judge with a formal warning. 
 

Notes for Editors

Media queries in relation to the JCIO should be made in the first instance to the Judicial Press Office - telephone 020 7073 4852 or via email - press.enquiries@judiciary.gsi.gov.uk 

Sanctions for misconduct by judicial office-holders are set out in the Constitutional Reform Act 2005. They are, in order of severity: formal advice, formal warning, reprimand and removal from office.

For more information about the Office, including details on how to make a complaint against a judicial office holder, you can visit the JCIO website at: Judicial Conduct Investigations website