Judges brand CPS prosecutor's explanation 'unsatisfactory' after she cited a nonexistent case from an AI search in the High Court

Crown prosecutor Ravinder Dhillon cited a wholly invented legal precedent before two High Court judges in a case concerning whether a boy should face prosecution for raping his younger sister. The fictitious case reference originated from an AI-generated internet search response, and Dhillon's explanation for relying on it was branded "unsatisfactory" by the judges and a "serious failure" by a leading AI and law expert.

The CPS had already admitted in February that a prosecutor cited nonexistent authorities in an extradition case, concluding at the time that "the risk of recurrence was low."

The latest blunder adds to dozens of AI hallucination errors in court proceedings this year, most involving unrepresented litigants in employment tribunals.

The CPS insists it has a strict policy barring AI from making legal decisions — a claim now looking threadbare after two known failures inside a year.