A crown court judge who was accused of trolling a female barrister using an anonymous social media account has been cleared of harassment.
Judge Daniel Sawyer, who sits in Portsmouth, faced allegations he breached judicial guidance on social media and abused his position by targeting Dr Charlotte Proudman on X.
He was said to have repeatedly posted, liked and replied to hostile comments about Dr Proudman, including claims she knew ‘nothing’ about the criminal courts.
Other posts allegedly encouraged users to ‘ignore anything that this person tweets’ and referred to her commentary on gender-based violence as ‘unprofessional drivel’.
Mr Sawyer was also said to have mocked Dr Proudman’s understanding of legal terminology, implying it was worse than ‘the average GCSE student’.
The barrister, who is a vocal women’s rights campaigner, was further criticised for her views on rape laws on X.
In one of his threads about her, Mr Sawyer is said to have stated: ‘Allow me to conclude in the words of what I think is a popular song… the criminal justice system has at least 99 problems but the fact that rape complainants can choose to be screened from the defendant ain’t one.’
It was alleged Mr Sawyer’s followers would have assumed he was calling Dr Proudman a ‘b****’ due to his play on the Jay-Z lyric ‘I got 99 problems but a b**** ain’t one’.
The tweets were mostly written in 2022, when Sawyer was a recorder or part-time judge. He was appointed a circuit judge for the western circuit in 2024.
Judge Daniel Sawyer, who sits in Portsmouth, faced allegations he breached judicial guidance on social media and abused his position by targeting Dr Charlotte Proudman on X
Mr Sawyer (pictured) was said to have repeatedly posted, liked and replied to hostile comments about Dr Proudman, including claims she knew ‘nothing’ about the criminal courts
It is understood that Mr Sawyer was initially linked to the account due to posts relating to horseback archery, a niche sport in which he is heavily involved in.
Mr Sawyer was investigated by the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) after a complaint was brought against him in June 2025.
He admitted he was responsible for the posts made under the pseudonym ‘Yet Another Tweeting Barrister’, but he denied they amounted to bullying or harassment.
The complaint, which has been seen by The Telegraph, alleged that the judge’s behaviour amounted to a breach of judicial guidance on social media.
The regulations, which are circulated to members of the bench, advise judges to ‘pause before you post’ and to remember that likes can be interpreted as an endorsement of the content.
However, the judicial watchdog’s investigation concluded there was no intent to bully Dr Proudman and that the judge’s behaviour did not warrant disciplinary action.
It found: ‘The conduct complained of would not have breached the disciplinary standards in such a way as to require disciplinary action.’
It is believed the JCIO initially responded saying it had upheld the compliant against Mr Sawyer but this was later clarified as an error.
Dr Proudman has maintained that she believes Mr Sawyer’s posts were part of a sustained campaign against her.
She told The Times: ‘Daniel Sawyer targeted me with a public campaign of harassment and misogyny.
‘This behaviour is utterly incompatible with the standards expected of those entrusted with judicial power.’
A JCIO spokesman said: ‘The [office] has responsibility for the investigation of conduct and discipline of judges.
‘[We] cannot comment on individual complaints, investigations or legal proceedings.’
The Daily Mail has approached Dr Proudman for further comment. The Times has contacted Mr Sawyer for comment.
