Incompetence of Bournemouth Crown Court staff leads to the downfall of local company Phones Rescue.

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This is another in a series of articles about the incompetence and violation of the law by officers from Dorset Police, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), and Bournemouth Crown Court.

The first hearing at Bournemouth Crown Court on July 21, 2023, and the settlement offer

Before the hearing before the judge, I had a meeting with my ex’s solicitor: John Reynolds from King’s Bench Chambers.

Although I have plenty of evidence that I am a victim of domestic violence and invested £15,000 in building the Summer House, I offered my ex’s solicitor that if they pay me £5,000, I will withdraw my allegations and waive any further claims against my ex.

Meeting with my ex’s solicitor – John Reynolds from King’s Bench Chambers

Since my allegations against my ex are serious enough that she could not only lose her job as an NHS nurse but also face imprisonment, I believe my settlement offer was extremely generous.

John Reynolds from King’s Bench Chambers (acting on behalf of Copperstone Solicitors & Commissioners for Oaths) categorically rejected my settlement offer. He stated that they wouldn’t pay me a penny. Furthermore, they applied with my ex for:

7.18 Is there anything else you want to happen with the family home?

1. I need the respondent to pay for or contribute to repairs or
   maintenance to the home
2. I need the respondent to pay for or contribute to the rent or mortgage
3. I need the use of the furniture or other household contents

Applications Page 24

For obvious reasons, I couldn’t agree to that, and the case went to the courtroom. The hearing was presided over by District Judge Andrew Lacey. Since my ex and I didn’t reach an agreement, the date for the second hearing was set for September 22, 2023. I received the report from this hearing by email on July 24, 2023.

The judge ordered my ex to submit her statements to the court by August 4, 2023, at 4:00 PM.

7. The Applicant must by 4pm on 4.8.23 file with the Court and serve on the Respondent:
a) a schedule of up to 6 allegations on which she wishes to rely, and
b) a statement in support of those allegations of up to 8 A4 pages (using size 12 font, 1½ spaced).

The judge ordered me to submit my statements and responses to the allegations made by my ex to the court by August 18, 2023, at 4:00 PM.

The Respondent must by 4pm on 18.8.23 file with the Court and serve on the Applicant’s solicitors (the
name and telephone number of which are given in paragraph 4 above),
a) his response to each allegation made against him (using the same document), and
b) a statement in support of his said responses of up to 8 A4 pages (using size 12 font, 1½ spaced).

The judge orders my ex to unblock my phone number.

My ex unlawfully blocked my private phone number after our breakup, which could be considered stalking and harassment. Details of this story were described in the previous article: NHS Nurse From Poole Hospital, Domestic Violence, False Testimony, And Lies In Court.

13. The Applicant must do everything she reasonably can to transfer as soon as possible the Respondent’s
mobile phone number 07404 958 756 from its current contract with EE to a Pay As You Go contract with EE.

My ex is ignoring the court’s orders for the first time regarding unblocking my phone.

On July 22, 2023, my ex unblocked my phone number. However, contrary to the court’s orders, after a few days, she not only blocked it again but completely deactivated my number from the network. Only after I intervened with her solicitor did she unblock my number after a few days and transfer it to a Pay As You Go tariff.

My ex ignores the court’s orders for the second time regarding sending the statement.

Contrary to the court’s instructions, my ex sent her statement to me and Bournemouth Crown Court only on August 7, 2023, after I intervened with my ex’s solicitor.

Second hearing at Bournemouth Crown Court on September 22, 2023. Court staff incompetence prolongs my case by over a month.

The second hearing at Bournemouth Crown Court took place on September 22, 2023. The hearing was presided over by District Judge Alison Lowe.

I informed the judge that my ex had ignored the court’s orders twice, but the judge took no action to penalize my ex.

The judge committed to providing me with a QLR (Qualified Legal Representative) for the next hearing in court.

The Court is to appoint a qualified legal representative on behalf of the Respondent for the final
hearing listed on 23.01.2024 at 10.00am with a time estimate of 1 hour at the Family Court sitting at
Bournemouth

When a month passed since the court hearing and I still hadn’t received the report, I called the court to inquire about the reason for the delay. The court staff member couldn’t explain why the report hadn’t been sent. Ultimately, the report was sent on October 25, 2023, causing an unnecessary extension of my case by over a month.

I would like to know who was responsible for sending that report.

According to the court documents, my ex had the right to respond to my statement by September 1, 2023, at 4:00 PM. However, she did not exercise this right.

During this hearing, my ex changed her mind and asked the judge for the opportunity to submit another statement in response to mine. The judge asked me if I objected to this. I replied that I had concerns that my ex might include new facts or lies to which I wouldn’t have the opportunity to respond. The judge assured me that my ex’s supplementary statement could only contain information that directly responded to mine.

My ex ignores the court’s orders for the third time.

My ex sent her supplementary statement on September 26, 2023. However, in line with my concerns, she included information in point 10 Statements Page 39 that never appeared in my previous statements or in any other case documents. This is yet another instance of disregarding the court’s orders.

The date for the next hearing, the Final Hearing, has been set for January 23, 2024.

Final Hearing at Bournemouth Crown Court on January 23, 2024. Court staff incompetence prolongs my case by another 3 months.

The Final Hearing at Bournemouth Crown Court took place on January 23, 2024. The hearing was presided over by District Judge Michael Veal.

Attention: There is no recording of hearings in court, and English is not my first language. The words quoted here will not be an exact copy of the participants’ statements during the hearing; however, the meaning of the statements remains unchanged.

Despite the judge’s commitment to providing me with a QLR at the Final Hearing during the previous hearing, my QLR did not appear.

District Judge Michael Veal asked me if I had prepared questions for him to ask my ex. I replied that I was not aware of such a requirement. The judge said that an email regarding this matter was sent to me. I replied that I did not receive any email on this subject. The judge checked the computer and acknowledged that the document on this matter should have been sent to me on January 12, 2024, but for some reason, it was not sent.

The judge asked me if I could write questions during the Final Hearing. I replied that firstly, English is not my first language, and secondly, the accusations made by my ex against me are serious enough that I would prefer to prepare in advance.

Due to the incompetence of the staff at Bournemouth Crown Court, my case has been rescheduled for April 15, 2024.

On January 24, 2024, I received an email from the court:

[…] BEFORE District Judge Veal sitting in private without a hearing on 12 January 2024 at the Family
Court at Bournemouth and Poole, Courts of Justice, Deansleigh Road, Bournemouth, BH7 7DS […]

1. The requirement for a QLR to be appointed to attend the hearing on 23 January 2024 is revoked.

2. By 4pm on 22 January 2024, the respondent file with the court only (and not with the applicant) written
questions which the respondent would wish the court to ask of the applicant by way of cross examination
during the hearing

3. A copy of this order shall be provided for information purposes to the Designated Family Judge for Dorset.

Ordered by District Judge Veal

on 12th January 2024

So on January 24th, I received an instruction from Bournemouth Crown Court that I was supposed to send my questions to the judge by January 22nd.

Due to yet another instance of incompetence on the part of Bournemouth Crown Court staff, my case has been extended for another 3 months. That adds up to a total of 4 months of unnecessary stress, 4 months of being thrown out of my home and my company, and not a single word of apology from Bournemouth Crown Court.

District Judge Michael Veal included only the following information in the email:

3. AND UPON the order of 12.01.2024 not having been served on the parties prior to today and the Court
therefore hearing submissions and concluding that today’s hearing must be adjourned

District Judge Michael Veal punished me for refusing to promise that I wouldn’t do entirely legal things.

The judge informed me that my Non-Molestation Order, which prohibited me from returning to my home, expired at the beginning of January 2024. So, I asked if theoretically, I could return home. The judge replied, “Yes,” but instructed me to promise that I wouldn’t do so.

Not sure if I understood the judge correctly, I asked again:

“If I go to my home, will I be breaking the law?”

The judge replied, “No, you won’t be breaking the law. It will be entirely legal. Can you promise, however, that you won’t do it?”

I replied that I wouldn’t promise not to do entirely legal things.

At that point, the judge penalized me by extending the Non-Molestation Order until April 23, 2024.

An attempt to cover up the incompetence of Bournemouth Crown Court staff

Employees of the Crown Court should carry out their duties diligently, as their work and decisions have an impact on the lives of residents of the United Kingdom. When they perform their duties carelessly, it can ruin the lives of innocent people. Due to the incompetence of Bournemouth Crown Court staff, my case was unnecessarily prolonged by 4 months.

I was prepared for a legal battle against my ex and her false accusations. However, I was not prepared to fight against Dorset Police, Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), and Bournemouth Crown Court as a victim of domestic violence. Four additional months meant a death sentence for my company. It meant four additional months of being evicted from my home, adding unnecessary stress.

As a victim of domestic violence and false accusations, I expect support and assistance from Bournemouth Crown Court. Instead, the employees of Bournemouth Crown Court are trying to destroy my life, that of my daughters, and drive my company to ruin.

By considering the actions of the Bournemouth Crown Court’s employees reprehensible and unacceptable, I lodged an official complaint with the court on January 28, 2024, seeking to ascertain:

Who at Bournemouth Crown Court is responsible for failing to fulfil their duties and for not sending me the email message on time?

Wayne Keel is trying to cover up the incompetence of Bournemouth Crown Court staff.

On February 10, 2024, I received a response to my complaint sent by Wayne Keel.

[…] I am sorry for the delay in you receiving the court order from the hearing that
took place on 22 September 2023 and for the frustration this would have
caused the parties. Presently the court is experiencing high volumes of work in
this area, and this is having an impact on the court’s ability to produce these
orders in a timely manner. I can assure you that the court is not happy with this
situation and is taking steps to improve the service it provides to court users,
colleagues are being asked to work extra hours where possible. […]

[…]

I am sorry, but the order made on 12 January 2024 should have been sent to
you prior to the hearing that took place on 23 January 2024, I can assure you
that this was not a deliberate act, unfortunately the urgency of the order was not identified by court staff. I will be speaking to my colleagues from that team
and will remind them of their responsibilities and the impact this type of issues
has on court users.[…]

Mr Wayne Keel
Civil & Family Team Leader

Wayne Keel, in an attempt to cover up the matter, completely ignored my demands to provide me with the names of individuals who failed to fulfil their duties, leading to the bankruptcy of my company. His excuse that the documents were not sent on time due to an overload of work is unserious, and I consider it to be a lie, as the documents were created on time but were not sent within the deadline.

If the employees of the Bournemouth Crown Court are destroying the lives of UK residents, the lives of domestic violence victims and their families because they are too busy to spare a few seconds to send an already created document, then they do not deserve to work in any court.

The incompetence of court staff can have serious consequences for individuals whose lives depend on the proper functioning of the justice system. Sending documents on time is a fundamental duty of court staff, and their neglect can affect the course of proceedings and the lives of those involved. Such neglect needs to be taken seriously and appropriate steps to be taken to hold accountable those responsible for these failures and to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Therefore, I once again demand the provision of information regarding the person or persons responsible for failing to properly execute their duties and for not sending the aforementioned documents on time.

Julie Ridgley – Operations Manager for Dorset – is trying to cover up the incompetence of Bournemouth Crown Court staff.

Since Wayne Keel did not provide me with the information I requested and did not disclose the individuals responsible for prolonging my case by over 4 months and ruining my life, on February 13, 2024, I filed a complaint to his manager. On February 23, 2024, I received a response from Julie Ridgley. However, she also tries to cover up the whole issue and did not address my questions about who is responsible for the delays in the emails sent by Bournemouth Crown Court.

I am sorry you had cause to complain in relation to the service you received from Bournemouth County Court.  Workloads and resources do unfortunately fluctuate and although we do strive to be consistent and produce high quality work timely this cannot always be maintained.  I am sorry for the delay that occurred with your court order in relation to the 22 September 2023.

I am also sorry for the order of 12 January 2024 not being sent to you prior to the hearing.  My Team Leader has spoken to the relevant staff members and reminded them of impact when such oversights occur.

Mrs Julie Ridgley
Operations Manager for Dorset

I understand that everyone can make mistakes. However, if mistakes occur twice within one legal case and other people’s mistakes ruin my life, then I have at least the right to know who is responsible for these mistakes.

Wayne Keel and Julie Ridley from the Bournemouth Crown Court are trying at all costs to cover up this matter and ensure that those responsible for these failures evade accountability.