An estimated £25,000 had been
spent to help improve the security around the house of one judge and security
over the houses of three judges. The spending has increased following the 51%
number of judges who daily feared for their safety while inside the court and
outside into their own houses.
One court judge, not involved
with the security improvements, said death threats and possible kidnapping of a
judge or their family members have become common. A female judge said a man
threatened to kill her after she ruled to have the spouse keep the three
children and smuggled a knife in court.
According to the judge, the
incidents have become common but "authorities are not recording them. Some
judges are even left in closed rooms without security or court clerks, further
raising concerns about the security of justices in the country.
The Judicial Attitude survey
indicate that about 48% of female judges are fearing for their safety while 35%
of male judges are concerned for their own lives after a ruling. According to
UCL Judicial Institute Professor Cheryl Thomas, government legal aid cuts had
made it faster for warring parties to engage in bickering as stress and the
lack of representation make it difficult for judges to find a proper
conclusion.
