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Senior CPS prosecutor cites a non-existent case found by AI search in High Court child rape hearing

The CPS admitted a second AI hallucination failure inside a year, after already concluding in February that "the risk of recurrence was low.
The CPS admitted a second AI hallucination failure inside a year, after already concluding in February that "the risk of recurrence was low.

Ravinder Dhillon, a senior crown prosecutor in the CPS rape and serious sexual offences unit, submitted a detailed reference to the entirely fabricated case CPS – R v J [2024] EWCA Crim 3529 while arguing that an 11-year-old boy should stand trial for raping his seven-year-old sister. Two High Court judges found her explanation of the error 'unsatisfactory', and an AI and law expert described it as 'a serious failure'. The false citation appears to have come from an AI-generated summary produced by an internet search.

This marks the second known occasion on which a CPS lawyer has placed AI-hallucinated, non-existent sources before a court.

Dhillon said her intention had been to cite a genuine 2009 House of Lords ruling, R v JTB [2009] UKHL 20, handed down 14 years before the case she actually referenced.

Lawyer Matthew Lee, who maintains a register of AI-related court errors, said the incident brought his total to 101 confirmed, likely or disputed entries.

MoreThe TelegraphProsecutor cites fake case in court after using AI - The Telegraphua.newsCPS prosecutor cited non-existent precedent in High CourtDaily Mail NewsSenior CPS prosecutor accidentally references non-existent case after using AI during child rape High Court hearingThe Guardian‘A serious failure’: CPS prosecutor cites imaginary case to high court after AI searchwww.techtimes.co.ukA UK Prosecutor Used AI To Find a Court Case That Didn't Exist, Raising Fears Over Legal Accuracy - www.techtimes.co.uk
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