Twice a Judge
February 27th, 2004 at 12:38 pm by David FarrarI have slightly mixed feelings regarding the standing down of High Court Master Anthony Christiansen following an indecent assault complaint.
Firstly one can only agree with Judith Collins that appointing Christiansen as a High Court Master, after he had resigned as a District Court Judge over an unwanted advance to a female court worker, was extremely unwise. It does not reflect well on the judgement of those who made that decision as you need Judges with basically unblemished records (hence I will never be a Judge!).
My second reaction though is that it appears not to be a “second” incident but the result of a complaint being laid with the Police over the original incident, two years after it happened. It is of course not at all unusual for police complaints to be delayed if nothing was said at the time for reasons of fear etc, but it doesn’t quite sit totally well with me that having complained at the time (as she should have) which lead to his resignation, to them two years later make it a police matter when one could have (and should have been if it was conduct of a criminal nature) complained to the Police at the time.
It is possible that she was angry that after losing his job for his (alleged) behaviour, that a couple of years later he was back in what can be seen as a promotion, and this is the only way to register a protest against it. From that point of view it is not an unreasonable thing to do, and this highlights of course how stupid Margaret Wilson was to appoint him to the High Court after he resigned from the District Court.
I guess we may find out when the issue airs on Sunday on TV One. I’ll be in Rome so won’t see it but will rely on the Internet to get a summary.
No tag for this post.
February 27th, 2004 at 1:24 pm
Rome! Lucky you. Unless it’s work related, that is.
Vote:February 27th, 2004 at 1:39 pm
Who frigging knows what is going on in the background here but I guarantee you that the woman involved is currently in ‘therapy’.
Vote:February 27th, 2004 at 3:30 pm
Ahh Rome… Home of the ICANN meeting and junket events for registrants hard earned money!
DPF is joining the glorious company of Jim Higgins and Patrick O’Brien in using others peoples money for pointless trips.
Vote:March 1st, 2004 at 4:19 pm
The TV One story was a joke, straight out of a woman’s magazine. The only credible piece of evidence was an admission through the Master’s solicitor that he had, at her invitation, kissed the complainant. The rest was basically the complainant, well, complaining.
The Master resigned during an adjournment from being a District Court Judge due to the allegation.
For the Master’s sake I hope that this matter is cleared up very quickly (and that it is completely untrue) as he is a likeable and fair Judge.
Vote:March 19th, 2004 at 11:47 am
If a criminal complaint was laid in the first place the Master would never have been appointed, yet nearly 3 years later after God know’s what has gone on in this unhinged woman’s pathetically publically-aired life, details which due to her inebriation were a mystery now seem clear. What will become clear are the facts which rest assured will further belittle this obsessive woman who openly stated the destruction of the Master as her objective in Sunday’s soap opera.
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