A judge has claimed the police are the only agency doing worse in the pandemic and said he had to let a violent defendant off with a fine because they ‘can’t be bothered’ to do their job correctly.
District Judge Angus Hamilton’s extraordinary rant came when he was sentencing Dean Wildego, 31 who punched his ex-girlfriend’s former boyfriend in a fight at her Chelsea flat.
Wildego appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 30th June via video-link from Charing Cross police station to admit the assault and be sentenced.
But when the Judge Hamilton tried to find Wildego’s list of previous convictions, he found the form had been left blank by the police.
Judge Hamilton blasted officers for ‘constantly letting us down one way or another’ and being ‘the one agency who throughout this pandemic are doing a worse job’.
He claimed they just wanted defendants ‘out of the police station’ and said he was ‘sick to death’ of their conduct.
Despite protests from prosecutor Misba Majid the judge insisted on hearing the case with the assumption Wildego had never committed an offence so had ‘previous good character’.
He said:
‘Why don’t I have any information on him? I’ve just got a charge sheet, apparently, that’s all police think I need to deal with this case effectively.
‘Police are the one agency who throughout the pandemic are doing a worse job. Every other agency is managing well. They are constantly letting us down one way or another. Police can’t be bothered.
‘I am sick to death of the way police treat this court, especially Charing Cross police station.
‘They don’t seem capable of putting together a simple package of information. All they are interested in doing is getting them in court because they want them out of the police station.
‘So as they haven’t provided me with a list of convictions I am treating this defendant like he has previous good character.
‘Police need to understand what they need to do. They are showing no signs of changing these sloppy practices.’
When Ms Majid tried to interject, the judge shouted her down: ‘Do not speak over me Ms Majid.
‘You want me to ask the defence about his previous convictions? For heaven’s sake. I won’t be doing that.
‘If you are unhappy then put in a complaint.
‘It is all errors and selfishness.’
Ms Majid asked: ‘Sir if I can get a copy of the defendant’s antecedence may I address the court at the end?’
‘No,’ the judge snapped.
Ms Majid earlier told the court how Wildego had arrived at the flat of his ex-partner, Jacey Diment, and got into a fistfight with her other ex-boyfriend Nick Bull.
She said: ‘Police were called to a flat in Chelsea Reach Tower in relation to a domestic incident.
‘When police arrived the complainant Mr Bull was present at his ex-girlfriend’s property. Also present was the defendant.
‘A neighbour had called police as a result of a disturbance. When police arrived they heard the disturbance, and they opened the door and saw the defendant and complainant in a scuffle.
‘The defendant had proceeded to strangle the complainant as a result of an argument in relation to a Ms Jacey Diment, an individual they had both previously been in a relationship with.
‘The defendant strangled the victim in this matter. He forced him on the floor and began strangling him and punching him in the head twice. The injuries aren’t set out.
‘The defendant was arrested for this matter and made full and frank admissions to assaulting the victim.’
At the end of his outburst the judge told Wildego, said: ‘Can I just emphasise my frustration is not aimed at you it is aimed at other agencies.’
He told him ‘as I’m treating you as someone with good character’ he could ‘deal with this matter by way of a financial penalty’.
The judge added: ‘Without meaning to be too snide this is in some way down to the case being so badly prepared.’
Wildego, of Knock Holt Road, Greenwich, pleaded guilty to one count of assault by beating and was ordered to pay £210.
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Was there any reply from the Police ?
Does this Judge think he is John Deed? He is as incompetent as he is accusing the Police as being!!
Does he not know that it is the responsibility of CPS to ensure that the package received is complete? I used to be a Supervisor for West Midlands Police. The amount of times my department sent a FULL package to CPS, only for them to either ‘lose’ it, or at the very least some of it, and so we had to send to the Courts Police office on day of trial or sentencing is too many to mention.
Now with the link to CPS computers, they should be able to print off a Full File, something that they often fail to do, relying on the OIC to bring a Full File to court. Police supervisors check to make sure this is intact. It is joint responsibility, and the CPS Lawyer should have ensured that the file was complete before giving the court their copy.
I am assuming that this rant was intended to shake up the police station in question, but completely wrong to do this in open court. At the very least, he should have called CPS and Defence lawyers to his chambers, a) to rant and b) to disclose his intention of sentence.
I am sick to death of the Police being blamed for everyone’s failings.
I am aghast by the judge’s behaviour. It is unprofessional and frankly I imagine a short adjournment would have done the job to ensure the defendant was sentenced in accordance with the Sentencing Guidelines. I think being generous he is not incompetent – he is simply being a bully using an unsackable pulpit from which to whine. If this is the whole story then it is utterly bizarre being as kind as one can.