Warren Grant lost a claim for unfair dismissal earlier this summer
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has reprimanded a former immigration judge who was fired for watching porn on “judicial IT equipment”.
According to a regulatory settlement agreement published by the SRA earlier today, Grant — a 61-year-old Cambridge-educated former solicitor — acknowledged that by accessing “inappropriate material” while in chambers, he had “failed to act with integrity”.
Accepting that the immigration specialist was suffering from severe “reactive depression” at the time, the SRA also took into account: “the action already taken by the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office” and the “subsequent media coverage” his case had received. The regulator concluded that a “written rebuke” was the appropriate sanction.
Grant — who was removed from the bench along with two other judges last March — agreed to contribute £600 towards the costs of the SRA’s investigation. A fourth judge opted to resign before the completion of the disciplinary process.
Earlier this summer, Grant — who sat at the first-tier immigration tribunal based at Taylor House in London — claimed the government had unfairly sacked him. Citing the Disability Discrimination Act, the ex-judge claimed that his behaviour had stemmed from a mental illness he was suffering. The Metro newspaper reported that Grant had depression.
Grant eventually lost his claim for unfair dismissal after a week-long hearing at London’s Central Employment Tribunal. Reports at the time stated Grant would appeal the decision.