UK Court of Appeal rules judge should not have heard case from bed

Britain's Court of Appeal has ruled that a judge was wrong to hear a case from his bed via video link while recovering from surgery, according to a report by The Guardian.

The judge, Richard Clayton KC, sitting as a deputy High Court judge, presided over an optician's appeal against a finding of serious misconduct. The hearing took place the day after Clayton had undergone an operation for a ruptured Achilles tendon and had only just returned from hospital.

The Court of Appeal found that conducting the hearing under these circumstances, from a hospital bed, was not appropriate, according to the report. The ruling raises questions about the conditions under which judges should preside over cases remotely, particularly in the aftermath of medical procedures.

The case had originally concerned an appeal brought by an optician against a finding of serious misconduct, though further details of the underlying dispute were not included in the report. It was not immediately clear what happens next in the case, including whether it will be reheard before a different judge or panel.

The episode highlights broader questions about the use of remote and video-link hearings in the UK judicial system, a practice that expanded significantly in recent years and continues to raise questions about appropriate use in cases involving judges' health and personal circumstances. The Court of Appeal's ruling does not appear, based on available reporting, to have addressed further disciplinary consequences for Clayton, though the finding itself represents a rebuke of the decision to sit while still recovering from major surgery.