Whistleblower sues Ministry of Justice for unfair dismissal after discovering magistrate sentencing criminals remotely from Portugal A whistleblower who was sacked after he complained about a magistrate 'sentencing criminals remotely from Portugal' has sued the Ministry of Justice for unfair dismissal. Chris John raised concerns about the unusual work-from-home set-up, arguing Mr Taylor's decisions could be rendered invalid or unlawful. However, he was subsequently fired in what he described as a campaign of 'retaliation due to my whistleblowing'. Mr John had taken his complaints over remote working to Justice Secretary David Lammy and Courts Minister Sarah Sackman. Meanwhile senior judges and officials investigated the matter, concluding magistrates should not dial in to hearings from outside the UK. However Mr John claims he faced resistance to the idea of a wider investigation into Single Justice Procedure (SJP) - including using Microsoft Teams links to administer justice and magistrates dialling into court from unknown locations. He says he was 'bullied' and shunned at work after refusing to sit on SJP sessions he believed to be unlawful. A whistleblower who was sacked after he complained about a magistrate 'sentencing criminals remotely from Portugal' has sued the Ministry of Justice for unfair dismissal. Chris John said he was 'shocked' to discover Phil Taylor had been dialling in from his home near Lisbon to dish out verdicts on cases at Reading Magistrates' Court. The court legal adviser raised concerns about the unusual work-from-home set-up, arguing Mr Taylor's decisions could be rendered invalid or unlawful.However, he was subsequently fired in what he described as a campaign of 'retaliation due to my whistleblowing'. Mr John had taken his complaints over remote working to Justice Secretary David Lammy and Courts Minister Sarah Sackman.Meanwhile senior judges and officials investigated the matter, concluding magistrates should not dial in to hearings from outside the UK. However Mr John claims he faced resistance to the idea of a wider investigation into Single Justice Procedure (SJP) - including using Microsoft Teams links to administer justice and magistrates dialling into court from unknown locations. He says he was 'bullied' and shunned at work after refusing to sit on SJP sessions he believed to be unlawful.Chris John (pictured) said he was 'shocked' to discover Phil Taylor had been dialling in from his home near Lisbon to dish out verdicts on cases at Reading Magistrates' Cour