Magistrate, 52, fined for dashing to court docket retains job
A magistrate who was caught speeding while dashing to court has denied seeking to ‘curry favour’ when he brought up his JP status while appearing in court for the offence.
Robert Gonouya, 52, told fellow magistrates that he inadvertently broke the speed limit while rushing to sit on the bench.
The school governor has now been issued with formal advice for misconduct after a panel found he had breached a ‘declaration and undertaking’ magistrates sign upon appointment ‘to inform their bench chair of any involvement they have in impending court proceedings’.
The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) added in a statement: ‘Magistrates are also advised to avoid personal reference to their position as a magistrate in circumstances where it could be perceived as an attempt to influence or gain advantage.’
The slap on the wrist means Mr Gonouya, of Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, can carry on dishing out fines, penalty points and disqualifications to drivers who appear before him.
Robert Gonouya, 52, (pictured) told fellow magistrates that he inadvertently broke the speed limit while rushing to sit on the bench
The 52-year-old said it ‘clearly wasn’t an attempt to curry favour’ with the bench at Nottingham Magistrates Court last July.
He told the Mail his comment to the court was simply ‘naïve’, adding: ‘we all make mistakes’.
Mr Gonouya continued: ‘I know what the expectations (of a magistrate) are and it is unfortunate that this happened.’
Mr Gonouya was caught driving at 35mph in a 30mph zone on Rosemary Street in Mansfield, just yards from the town’s magistrates court where he has sat on the Nottinghamshire bench since 2021.
‘I didn’t know the camera was there’, he said. ‘It’s not like I was doing 100mph – it could happen to anyone.
‘It’s something that was clearly unintentional.’ He said of the December 2022 incident: ‘It happened at ten minutes to 2pm and I was on my way into court for the (2pm) afternoon session.
‘It’s water under the bridge.’
The JCIO statement said Mr Gonouya had apologised for not informing his bench chair and explained that he intended to do so after the case had concluded.
The 52-year-old said it ‘clearly wasn’t an attempt to curry favour’ with the bench at Nottingham Magistrates Court (pictured) last July
‘He mentioned his status as a magistrate in order to explain the circumstances behind the offence and not to gain any favour’, it added.
‘Following an investigation, carried out under the Judicial Conduct (Magistrates) Rules 2014, a conduct panel of the Midlands Region Advisory Committee found that Mr Gonouya had breached the declaration and undertaking and that his actions amounted to misconduct.
‘In recommending formal advice, the panel considered that Mr Gonouya had acted naïvely but had learnt from his mistakes and was unlikely to repeat them.’
Nottinghamshire magistrates hit Mr Gonouya, who is the General Secretary of the UK-based Zimbabwe Diaspora Nation Building Initiative, with a £207 fine, £82 victim surcharge, £90 costs and endorsed his licence with three penalty points.
Mr Gonouya is also a former director at Arena Community, a charity focused on supporting people with challenging lives.
