WHEN Judge Emma Peters finishes her day putting some of the most hardened criminals behind bars, often there’s only one thing she wants to do.
“All day I’m the one in charge, so after work I love to go to the gym for sessions so I can be bossed around for once,” she said.
Yet amid an unrelenting schedule brought on by an extensive backlog of criminal cases, often there isn’t a chance to unwind.
One night last week the esteemed judge was up until 1am writing her remarks for a sentencing.
But hard work, dedication and unwavering commitment are traits which have embodied her rise to the top.
She said: “I wanted to become a barrister but I couldn’t afford to as I don’t come from a privileged background.
“Instead, I got a scholarship from the Army which enabled me to become a barrister.
“The plan was always I had to do at least six years to fulfill my role; I ended up staying for 20 years.”
The role saw Judge Peters travel the world, dealing with legal matters in Hong Kong and Germany and even taking on an advisory role during the Croat-Bosniak war.
She became a Lieutenant Colonel in her early thirties and enjoyed a spell as head of employment law in the army.
The legal specialist would eventually become the resident judge at the Colchester court martial centre.
She was called to the bar in 1991 and started judge advocacy in 2010, before being named a circuit judge in 2016 and joining Ipswich Crown Court in 2020.
From here, Judge Peters has sent some of north Essex’s most prolific criminals to prison.
But with her rise to the top came its challenges.
“Early in my career I experienced misogyny," she said, "but there are real signs of diversity being embraced and that is exciting.
“I have faced misogyny in all three careers at an early stage but I have overcome it and succeeded and that is the most satisfying way to see it.”
Judge Peters said the adversity she has faced during her career has helped give her a compassionate approach to all those who enter her courtroom.
Discussing what traits she thinks a judge should have, she said: “I think common sense is one of the most important... and humanity.
“You need an understanding of humanity as the context of every case is different.”
Having seen the worst of society, the judge also said she takes reassurance from seeing the best of it.
“I have seen some people who have heard screams and gone to help,” she added.
“When you see people who have gone out of their way to help out a fellow man, that is actually quite reassuring for society.”
Judge Peters admits even after all these years, some cases can still be difficult to hear.
She continued: “I think everyone involved in the criminal justice system is a human being and therefore they are going to hear things or see things they find sad or upsetting.
“But I am a professional and I get on with it and that is my job. At the end of the day I take my dog for a walk and everything seems OK again.”
Dealing with the backlog of cases is undeniably challenging.
Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary Alex Chalk has already announced courts will continue to operate at “full throttle” for a third year in a row in 2024.
Data published last month by HM Courts and Tribunal Services shows more than 64,000 court cases were still open across the country in July.
“With the backlog there is no flexibility in the court day to do anything other than be in court,” said the judge.
“We have got a massive backlog, there is no doubting that, but we are all working hard to do what we can to battle it.”
The legal system's difficulties are also being mirrored in the region’s prisons, which have become cripplingly overcrowded.
It means judges are, on occasion, inclined to suspend sentences to avoid further exacerbating the crisis.
But at any hint of perceived leniency, the public is quick to criticise.
“I think criticism comes from a place of not understanding and I encourage anyone to come to my courtroom and sit in the public gallery,” invited Judge Peters.
“I also think things like broadcasting sentencing remarks is a really good move...anything that increases understanding has got to be a positive thing.”
The dedicated judge reviews her career with positivity. And after all, it has been a remarkable rise.
She concluded: “I am very proud of my career. I came from a childhood which had its challenges and the Army was the best move I made.
“I am really proud of being a judge.”
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