UK judge quits after racist slur against Indian-origin woman

A senior judge in the UK was forced to resign after he allegedly made racist comments against an Indian-origin woman while hearing a harassment case she had filed against a man.
Britain's senior immigration judge Peter Hollingworth was withdrawn from judicial duties and resigned as a deputy district judge after he made the derogatory comments against the woman surnamed Patel at Preston Magistrates' Court in Lancashire when he was told by a prosecutor that she was not in court for hearing.
"She can't be doing anything important....With a name like Patel she can only be working in a corner shop or off licence," Justice Hollingworth, 63, allegedly said, on October 30 during the hearing of harassment case she had filed against a man, Parvan Singh, for bombarding her with texts and threats.

The prosecutor who complained about Hollingworth's conduct had been arranging a date for the woman to attend the court.
After the woman was told about the judge's rant, she refused to have the trial overseen by him. Singh was later convicted of harassment and got 12 weeks jail.
Justice Hollingworth, who became an immigration judge in April 2005, is now being probed by the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office over the racist slur.

He quit as a deputy district judge and could face the sack from his role as a first-tier tribunal judge, the Mirror reported.
A spokesman for the investigation team said: "The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office can confirm that Judge Richard Terrence Peter Hollingworth has resigned as a Deputy District Judge.

"Any finding of misconduct and recommendation of disciplinary action... Will be subsequently handled by The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office in accordance with the Rules.