A British criminal judge who was fired for deleting WhatsApp conversations with a drug dealer on Wednesday lost a bid to bring a legal challenge against the decision.
Judge Jonathan Swift ruled at a hearing in London’s High Court that former Lincoln-based Judge Andrew Easteal had no arguable case that his removal breached his right to a private life.
Easteal was removed from office last year after the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO), which investigates complaints against judges, found he deliberately deleted data he knew was of interest to police investigating his acquaintance.
The judge was based at Lincoln Crown Court in England and was appointed in 2018, the same year he became friends with a man he knew as “Alex” – who was later jailed for nearly 10 years for conspiracy to supply cocaine.
Lawyers for the JCIO said in court filings that Easteal and his partner stayed with “Alex” in Albania in 2019, returning to Britain days before “Alex” was arrested at a British airport.
