Naked Judge – Right or Wrong – You be the Judge

15th February 2016

“Ok... Nudist camps are fine if you are into it... But a judge at a nudist camp! If you were a paedophile you would hope you got that judge!”

Pictures of a naked Judge at a nudist camp have resulted in public outrage and a call for the Judges actions to be investigated.
The pictures show the Judge in full-frontal nudity have resulted in the Sensible Sentencing Trust being asked to lay an official complaint with the Judicial Complaints Commissioner.

Trust founder, Garth McVicar said the photos which were apparently used to promote the Pineglades nudist club had now been taken down had resulted in numerous calls and emails asking the Trust to consider laying a complaint with the Judges watch-dog.

McVicar said it appeared the public outrage was not so much about nudism in general but the appropriateness of the Judge’s actions.

“People are asking if this Judges behaviour is likely to impede on his ability to carry out his role as a gate-keeper for society and to set standards the rest of us are expected to abide by.”

“This particular Judge has been in the headlines before, attracting criticism for giving a high-profile New Zealander name suppression in a controversial case.”

One person who contacted the Trust wrote: “Ok... Nudist camps are fine if you are into it... But a judge at a nudist camp! If you were a paedophile you would hope you got that judge!”

The Office of the Judicial Conduct Commissioner has the power to investigate complaints but not to discipline judges.
Auckland University law professor Bruce Harris said his best guess was there would be a case to answer under the conduct guidelines. But the complex system, high threshold for complaints and judges' independence meant it was difficult to predict whether nude pictures would merit investigation.

McVicar said the Sensible Sentencing Trust would certainly consider laying an official complaint even if only as a mechanism to ensure the integrity of the judiciary was upheld.

The Sensible Sentencing Trust operates a controversial web site that lists both what it considers are good and bad judicial decisions, www.judgethejudges.co.nz

http://nzh.tw/11589263

Garth McVicar
Founder Sensible Sentencing Trust

ENDS

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