Judges stressed by horrific sexual imagery as sex offence cases increase

The most senior judge in England and Wales has said horrific sexual imagery and distressing testimony judges face are “beyond the understanding of most people” and will leave them disturbed.

The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, said sex offence cases are on the rise and could not be explained merely as historical cases coming to light.

A senior judge broke down in tears last week as he passed sentence in the case of murdered teenage girl Becky Watts.

Mr Justice Dingemans’ voice wavered and cracked as he paid tribute to Becky, 16, who was murdered by her stepbrother in a sexually motivated attack.

Court artist Elizabeth Cook sketched the judge in tears as he paid tribute to the family following his sentencing remarks.

Such cases involve a “different kind of emotion” separate to the “cold rationality” judges use when making decisions in private according to Lord Thomas.

At an annual press conference on judicial issues he said: “I think that few people have any idea of the sheer depravity to which people can sink and a judge often has material in front of him which cannot but distress people.”

“Some of the images of pornography are beyond belief in what they show and it undoubtedly does have an effect on people.”

However, he said the judiciary draws strength from its own community, with judges discussing their similar experiences privately with each other.

He added: “Most people simply do not see what a judge sees by way of the horrors of what happens.”

Lord Thomas continued: “We consider it very important to give judges as wide a variety of cases as possible.

“The difficulty we face at the moment is that the rise in sexual offending is continuing.

“Some people thought that we had a problem that arose because of historic sexual crimes.

“Some of the images of pornography are beyond belief in what they show and it undoubtedly does have an effect on people.

“I think the view now is taken that that isn’t right and that there is an increasing amount of sexual offending … which is contemporaneous and that is quite a serious problem.”