Christopher Gaskell

Introduction

Christopher Gaskell is a former employment judge in the United Kingdom whose judicial career ended in disgrace after a disciplinary investigation found that he had engaged in a course of unwanted conduct of a sexual nature towards junior female tribunal staff. The allegations were investigated by the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office after concerns about his conduct were raised. Gaskell denied the allegations throughout, but the investigating judge found that the complainants’ evidence was “credible and reliable” and that his behaviour amounted to gross misconduct. Gaskell retired from judicial office before the disciplinary process concluded, and the Lord Chancellor and the Lady Chief Justice confirmed that, had he not already retired, he would have been removed from office. This page records those disciplinary findings, which are civil findings made under the judicial conduct process; the record does not state that any criminal proceedings were brought against him.

Background Information

Gaskell had a lengthy career spanning both legal practice and the judiciary. He was admitted as a solicitor in 1981 and later moved into judicial roles, serving as a deputy district judge and as a salaried employment judge. From 2015 to 2025, he also served as a diversity and community relations judge, a role concerned with promoting diversity and public understanding of the judiciary.

The record does not state his date of birth, where he practised as a solicitor, or the particular court or tribunal at which he sat, and this page therefore does not speculate on those points.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Gaskell faced allegations of inappropriate conduct towards junior female tribunal staff after concerns about his conduct were raised, and the matter was referred to the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office. Reporting at the time noted that the exact details of the allegations were “slightly murky”, but the investigating judge found that he had “engaged in a course of unwanted conduct of a sexual nature, including inappropriate touching of a member of staff, repeated inappropriate physical proximity and inappropriate sexualised behaviour towards multiple female staff members over an extended period”.

Gaskell denied the allegations. He claimed that any physical contact had been inadvertent or misinterpreted, rejected suggestions of sexual motivation, raised concerns about the fairness of the investigative process, and stated that the evidence was insufficient to establish misconduct. These denials are part of the record and are reported here as his position.

The investigating judge did not accept his account. The judge believed that the complainants’ evidence was “credible and reliable”, and found that Gaskell’s behaviour amounted to gross misconduct because it “involved an abuse of position and authority, caused distress and emotional harm, created a risk of further harm and was incompatible with the standards of behaviour expected of a judicial office holder”. These were civil disciplinary findings made by an investigating judge within the judicial conduct system, not criminal convictions.

Public Reaction and Consequences

Gaskell retired from judicial office before the conclusion of the disciplinary process. However, Lord Chancellor Alex Norris and Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr confirmed that had Gaskell not already retired, he would have been removed from office, in line with the investigating judge’s recommendation. In reaching their conclusion, Norris and Baroness Carr noted “the highly improper nature of the conduct, its repetition across multiple instances, the emotional harm to those concerned, the abuse of authority, the reputational risk to the judiciary”, adding that “Gaskell’s failure to accept any responsibility together elevated this to a case of considerable seriousness, for which removal from judicial office would have been the appropriate disciplinary outcome”.

The case was reported by RollOnFriday on 18 September 2026 under the headline “Gropey judge engaged in ‘sexualised behaviour’ with staff”. In the anonymous comments beneath the article, readers debated how much detail the published statement had disclosed: some sarcastically welcomed the transparency of confirming that he would have been removed from office, while others complained that the public had not been told exactly what he had done. One commenter remarked that he had retired “on his nice juicy judicial pension”, and other commenters drew comparisons with unrelated public figures; those comparisons reflect commenters’ opinions rather than findings against Gaskell.

Current Status

Gaskell is no longer a serving judge. He retired from judicial office before the disciplinary process against him concluded, and the Lord Chancellor and the Lady Chief Justice confirmed that he would otherwise have been removed from office. The record does not state whether he has any current professional role or whether any further proceedings were brought against him after his retirement.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The findings effectively ended Gaskell’s judicial career: an investigating judge found his conduct amounted to gross misconduct, and the two most senior authorities responsible for judicial discipline concluded that removal from office would have been the appropriate disciplinary outcome had he not retired first. The finding that he had abused his position and authority — including while he simultaneously held a role promoting diversity and community relations within the judiciary from 2015 to 2025 — is recorded against him, together with the assessment that his failure to accept any responsibility made the case one of considerable seriousness. The record does not state the effect on his pension, his post-retirement activities, or any other personal consequences.

Sources

• RollOnFriday, “Gropey judge engaged in ‘sexualised behaviour’ with staff”, September 18, 2026. source