JUDICIAL TRAINING

The President of the Family Division will formally request the Judicial College to give training, based on what is already provided to criminal judges, to family court judges who may hear cases involving allegations of serious sexual assault. This follows the successful appeal against HHJ Tolson's highly criticised ruling overturned in January by the appeal court (JH v MF [2020] EWHC 86). Russell J said the judge had permitted serious procedural irregularities in a hearing relating to domestic abuse and rape allegations, and that his conduct towards fact-finding was fundamentally flawed and unjust. 22 January

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