CPS solicitor cited fictitious case in challenge over child prosecution

A senior Crown Prosecution Service solicitor cited a non-existent legal case in written submissions during a High Court challenge over the prosecution of a child. The incident matters because the invented precedent was used to support a decision with serious consequences for children, prompting concern about the reliability of legal research and the use of AI in court.

The solicitor, Ravinder Dhillon, said the citation was an error and that she had meant to refer to a House of Lords decision from 14 years earlier; judges called her explanation “unsatisfactory” but said the mistake did not change the outcome. The challenge concerned a boy who was 11 when he allegedly raped his seven-year-old sister, and the court allowed proceedings to continue. The CPS said its AI policy requires human accuracy checks and prohibits AI from making legal decisions.