Brian Goodhead, England and Wales’ longest-serving magistrate, has retired after 49 years on the bench. At 25, he became England’s youngest magistrate and is urging people from all backgrounds to consider the role amid a Ministry of Justice recruitment campaign.
Goodhead sat in all three magistrates’ court jurisdictions: youth, adult and family. He said diversity was a priority while he chaired the bench. In the early 2000s, he said, it was difficult to recruit Asian women, but that had since been addressed and the magistracy was becoming more diverse.
New Ministry of Justice research suggests many people have the skills to become magistrates, but 51% did not believe they could. Justice Minister Sarah Sackman launched the recruitment campaign at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court, saying magistrates are members of the public who make decisions in criminal and family matters.
