I would like to suggest that judges are rather more diverse than your article implies or the public realise (People who do not ‘look like’ typical judge have lowest trust in judiciary, 10 November). There are five judges who sit regularly in Hastings. Four of us went to state schools. Four of us did not go to Oxbridge. Three of us received university grants based on parental income.
One of us, born in Pakistan, is from an ethnic minority. Two of us are gay. One of us is female; her father was an electrician and a single parent. My father drove tractors for a living and before that my ancestors were mainly blacksmiths for centuries; I think that counts as working class. Please be assured that we can relate to those who appear in front of us and we have empathy.
Kevin Harper
President, Association of His Majesty’s District Judges
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