Horrendous. I’ve received death threats, and you can’t help but let them play on your mind - whether when walking to get a sandwich at lunch or putting the bins out on a dark evening. I can’t begin to imagine the additional stress of a threat to a child.

Regardless etc etc no.2 - even those who disagree should acknowledge that it’s a remarkable judgment to have turned around in such little time and under such pressure. Public service and then some.

Regardless as to what happens on the appeal, as a rank and file family judge, I’m grateful for David Williams taking the stand that he has. My own view is that the COCJ and ADJ ought to apply to intervene. Who else is going to provide the balance? We will be, as always, voiceless.

Incidentally, note the conclusion of the Sun’s editorial on this… it’s almost as if that’s the point of the concern…

… and right in terms of his assertion that some journalists do not conduct their work with balance, fairness, and a sense of responsibility. Of course, what and how they report is a matter for them. But judges can’t undertake the necessary Art 8 v 10 balancing exercise without referencing reality.

Right in terms of being able to scrutinise the decision making without naming the judge and professionals, right in terms of the harm that they might come to in today’s climate…

A real positive response in our area to a firm push back from the gatekeeping team in cases where urgency not criteria not made out. LA’s shouldn’t ask, but courts shouldn’t grant!

… we must ensure it is appraised with balance and a critical eye. In the wrong case, it creates misleading hope and expectation, and can compound a sense of failure. Returns to court in even the successful cases not uncommon. The discussions of the pros and cons must be frank, and not one sided.

The sad reality is that this attack is yet to change anything on the ground. My courtroom remains manifestly unsafe - there’s even a HMCTS disclaimer on my desk telling me so. Simple adjustments have been identified to help, but of course there’s no budget to complete them. We remain sitting ducks.

Re. the second point - the quality of security guards varies wildly. Many do not consider it their role to intervene physically. Many others are simply not equipped to do so, even with best intentions.