Non-compliance from the public body was dealt with by judicial expressions of incomprehension (“I’m struggling to understand…”) about the Local Authority’s failure to act and about their failure to apologise for not doing so. This led to an acknowledgement of (some) fault by Barnet…
Tag Archives: contempt of court
Wrongful arrest and a secret prison sentence: DJ Taylor (Truro) and the failure of open justice
By Celia Kitzinger, 20 July 2025 Since October 2024, I have been asking the Court of Protection (via the Bristol hub) for information about what happened at a committal hearing before DJ Taylor sitting in Truro at 2pm on Friday 25th October 2024. It’s COP 14097168 – the last in the CourtServe listing below. TheContinue reading “Wrongful arrest and a secret prison sentence: DJ Taylor (Truro) and the failure of open justice”
‘Sentencing’ for Contempt of Court: HHJ Hilder decides on no penalty
By Claire Martin, 28th April 2025 The Courts and Tribunals Judiciary defines contempt of court like this: I have recently discovered, at a different hearing for contempt, that the criminal standard of proof (of beyond reasonable doubt) is required for both criminal and civil contempt. That is different to the usual standard of proofContinue reading “‘Sentencing’ for Contempt of Court: HHJ Hilder decides on no penalty”
Two years on, P is still missing: Judge refuses application to conclude proceedings, holds proceedings partly in private, and issues injunction with penal notice against mother
By Amanda Hill, with contribution from Tim Sugden and Celia Kitzinger, 26th March 2025 The protected party in this case, “P”, is a woman in her early twenties, with diagnoses of autism, ADHD, behavioural difficulties and limited communication skills. Her mother took her to Jamaica in February 2023 “seemingly to evade the involvement of social careContinue reading “Two years on, P is still missing: Judge refuses application to conclude proceedings, holds proceedings partly in private, and issues injunction with penal notice against mother”
Capacity and Contempt of Court: The case of LB
By Celia Kitzinger, 18th December 2024 The hearing I observed on 5th December 2024 (COP 14045574) before HHJ Tucker sitting in Coventry was an application to send someone to prison. The hearing lasted for about 35 minutes and I was able to observe about 20 minutes of it, missing the beginning due to not having been sent theContinue reading “Capacity and Contempt of Court: The case of LB”
Promoting Open Justice in the Court of Protection 