Cabbie jailed for attacking judge

A taxi driver was jailed for 18 months today for attacking a High Court judge who had just declared him bankrupt.

William Oldfield, 55, grabbed Registrar John Simmons as he was pronouncing the bankruptcy order in room 109 at the Royal Courts of Justice.

With his arms around the judge's head, Oldfield pulled him to the ground shouting: "I will now have to treat you as a kidnap," a court heard.

He was eventually restrained by two solicitors' clerks and handcuffed by the High Court tipstaff before the police arrived. Oldfield today pleaded guilty at Southwark Crown Court to causing actual bodily harm. The court was told he had been angry that his claims that his children had been wrongly taken into care had not been heard by the courts.

Today Mr Justice Mitting told him: "The judge was attacked simply because he was a judge performing his duties. You took hold of him by the neck and the face with your arms and wrenched. You hurt and injured him, his leg was cut, his tooth was chipped and he was hurt and shaken."

The judge said that many people like Oldfield conducted campaigns for years over perceived grievances which are "a considerable burden to the court system".

He added: "But very few of even these such people resort to a physical attack on those who administer justice."

The court was told that the attack took place in front of an Inland Revenue examiner and a solicitor.

When Oldfield was being restrained he calmly asked for a cigarette and said: "It had to be done, I've had nine years of b*****ks."

The court heard that Oldfield was full of remorse and apologised to the registrar for the "disgraceful act" but he had reached the end of his tether.

Oldfield, of Sittingbourne, Kent, has a previous conviction for common assault on a social worker two years ago.