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Article link: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/law/article/judge-investigated-charlotte-proudman-social-media-3c5jvmv07?
Article text:
Judge investigated over X account that ‘targeted female barrister’
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Daniel Sawyer was accused of breaching judicial guidance on social media and abusing his position by attacking the feminist academic Charlotte Proudman online
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Charlotte Proudman, a women's rights campaigner and family law specialist, stands before bookshelves filled with red books.
Charlotte Proudman
LUCY YOUNG FOR THE TIMES
Ben Ellery, Deputy Chief Reporter
Friday March 13 2026, 8.40pm, The Times
A crown court judge was accused of using an anonymous social media account to conduct a campaign of online harassment against a female barrister and feminist campaigner.
Judge Daniel Sawyer, who sits in Portsmouth, stood accused of breaching judicial guidance on social media and abusing his position by targeting Charlotte Proudman on X, according to a complaint submitted to the judicial watchdog.
The account presented itself as an anonymous criminal barrister commenting on legal issues and court practice. The complaint alleges that Sawyer used it to criticise Proudman’s views on rape prosecutions while concealing his identity.
Daniel Sawyer wearing a white polo shirt with a medal and carrying a bow, standing in a field.
Daniel Sawyer
The submission claimed that Sawyer used a the account, “Yet Another Tweeting Barrister”, to repeatedly post, like and reply to hostile commentary about Proudman, including criticism of her views on rape law and the criminal justice system.
The Times understands that posts relating to horseback archery, a niche sport in which Sawyer is heavily involved, formed part of the material used to identify him as the operator of the account.
The complaint alleged his online activity included tweets accusing Proudman of knowing “nothing” about the criminal courts and suggesting her commentary could discourage victims from reporting crimes. Screenshots attached to the complaint showed posts urging readers not to let Proudman’s comments “put you off reporting crime” and criticising her understanding of how sexual offence cases are handled in court.
The complaint also highlighted an adapted lyric referencing the phrase “99 problems but a bitch ain’t one”, which the document said some followers interpreted as referring to Proudman. In a subsequent tweet, the account said it did not know the phrase “99 problems” was a reference to the word “bitch”.
It further alleged that Sawyer encouraged other users to report Proudman to the Bar Standards Board (BSB) and contact her chambers, which the complaint said prompted abusive replies from members of the public, including misogynistic insults.
The tweets were mostly written in 2022, when Sawyer was a recorder or part-time judge. He was appointed a circuit judge for the western circuit in 2024. The submission alleged that such conduct risked undermining public confidence in the judiciary and breached guidance warning judges not to assume social media activity was private or free from scrutiny.
Judicial guidance circulated to members of the bench warned that judges should “pause before you post” and remember that liking or interacting with posts can be perceived as endorsement of their content.
The complaint also criticised Sawyer for filing a complaint to the BSB about Proudman’s social media posts, which triggered a lengthy investigation that was ultimately dropped. According to documents referenced in the complaint, Proudman was investigated for several months before the allegations were discontinued without explanation or apology.
The submission asked the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) to investigate whether Sawyer’s conduct amounted to misconduct under judicial conduct rules, alleging that his actions constituted “public harassment, gender-based bullying and misuse of his judicial office”.
On Friday the JCIO told the complainant it would not proceed further with the complaint because it had been made outside the three-month time limit set out in the rules, adding that even if it had been admitted it would not have warranted disciplinary action.
Proudman said she believed the posts formed part of a sustained campaign against her. She told The Times: “Daniel Sawyer targeted me with a public campaign of harassment and misogyny. This behaviour is utterly incompatible with the standards expected of those entrusted with judicial power.”
A spokesperson for the JCIO said: “The [office] has responsibility for the investigation of conduct and discipline of judges. [We] cannot comment on individual complaints, investigations or legal proceedings.”
Sawyer was approached for comment.
These are the things that you don't even see extremists do online tbh.
Also he did something specifically prohibited from being done as a part of his job on a not so anonymous website. Also twitter is the hub of online cancel culture sooner or later somebody would have doxxed him if it wasn't the case this time, a lot of people follow extreme Opsec methods on twitter
Even if you do reach out to those people the advice would still be biased and even if you have the analytical skills to get objective data there are many conflicting things not related to you that will affect you( how the people in your life perceive the job)
I'm 18 btw