Deaf News: Little Mix court case adjourned after interpreters refuse to provide access following complaints

A court case concerning the lack of a sign language interpreter for support acts at a Little Mix concert had to be adjourned on Friday, after interpreters for the remote hearing refused to provide access for the proceedings.

Their decision came after viewers used the chat function on Thursday – the first day of the hearing – to complain about the quality of the interpretation from the two interpreters, who were provided by Clarion UK.

One interpreter went on to raise this with the judge without signing as they did so – a move which was challenged by the claimants’ barrister, Catherine Casserley.

In response, District Judge Avent noted that the interpreters had taken the interpreter’s oath – which states that they will “faithfully interpret” proceedings – and instructed viewers not to use the chat function to comment on the interpretation provided.

In response, LGBT+ activist Abigail Gorman wrote on Twitter: “Being told not to complain about the lack of access in a hearing that is about lack of access… the irony.”

Being told to not complain about the lack of access in a hearing that is about lack of access… the irony. #LittleMixCourtCase https://t.co/Fy8PmwDIvw

— Abigail Gorman (She/Her) (@abigailgorman) July 1, 2021

Others confirmed that they had filed complaints with the National Registers of Communication Professionals working with Deaf and Deafblind people (NRCPD), who regulate BSL interpreters.

In a statement to The Limping Chicken on Thursday, an NRCPD spokesperson said: “We are always concerned when we see reports of poor interpreting practice and it’s a powerful use of social media to be able to bring this to our attention during the hearing.

“This is not just about the interpreters but also the way the courts work with them. We regret that the official way of reporting such concerns to the judge did not resolve the problem.

“It would be terrible if a case about failure to provide access and inclusion to a deaf claimant failed because of a failure to provide access and inclusion for the same person in our courts.

“[On Thursday], we raised the matter of this case to the Ministry of Justice and asked that the appropriate provision is in place for the rest of the hearing and will press for the circumstances to be looked into by them,” they said.

However, at the start of the proceedings on Friday, DJ Avent confirmed that the two interpreters had withdrawn their services following comments made on Thursday, with him being made aware of their decision five minutes before the hearing began.

He went on to say that the claimants could either find someone to interpret, or proceed without an interpreter.

NEW: The interpreters have withdrawn their services today as a result of the messages posted on Twitter last night, with DJ Avent told five minutes ago. The judge has suggested that someone on the call interpret, or Casserley and Fry proceed without an interpreter.

— Liam O'Dell (@LiamODellUK) July 2, 2021

“[The interpreters] feel their position has been undermined by social media observations.

“Clarion have effectively washed their hands of this.

“There have clearly been tweets and offence has been taken, I’m afraid, so the damage has been done,” he said, adding that having a “continuing” narrative in the chat function during the case “has been disastrous”.

While Ms Casserley and the claimants’ solicitor, Chris Fry, were given time to find an interpreter, the barrister later admitted that “I think, inevitably, we’re going to have to adjourn.”

Due to no interpreter being provided, this conversation was not interpreted for those viewing the proceedings.

The hearing has now been adjourned to 10am on Thursday 8 July, when it is hoped that other BSL interpreters will be available.

When approached by The Limping Chicken for a right of reply, one interpreter declined to comment. The other did not respond to our request.

Live coverage of day one and day two of the court case can be found on Twitter, published by The Limping Chicken‘s Liam O’Dell.

By Liam O’Dell. Liam is a mildly deaf freelance journalist and campaigner from Bedfordshire. He wears bilateral hearing aids and can be found talking about disability, theatre, politics and more on Twitter and on his website.

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Update – 03.07.21: In a statement to The Limping Chicken on Friday, Sally Chalk, CEO of Clarion UK, said: “We are not able to comment in full at this early stage. However, we can state very clearly that the safety of the interpreting team and the quality of our service is front and centre of all our decisions.”