CPS prosecutor cited an imaginary case after using AI, review finds
newsNov 3, 20261013
Ravinder Dhillon, a senior crown prosecutor in the CPS rape and serious sexual offences unit, cited a nonexistent case called CPS, R v J [2024] EWCA Crim 3529 while arguing in favour of prosecuting an 11-year-old accused of raping his seven-year-old sister. Court documents show the reference came from an AI-generated internet search; Dhillon later admitted in October that she had meant a different, real decision from 15 years earlier. Two senior high court judges described her explanation as "unsatisfactory" and Brian Flanagan, associate professor of law at Maynooth University, called the error "a serious failure." The high court said the fictitious citation did not change the outcome of the boy’s challenge to the CPS decision, and the prosecution is listed to go to trial in the youth courts later this week. The incident is the second known CPS case this year involving made-up authorities linked to AI use, and follows dozens of AI-related errors in other court proceedings. In June 2025 the high court urged the Bar Council and the Law Society to consider urgent measures to curb AI hallucinations affecting cases.
