What’s up DOCK? Bugs Bunny joins other cartoon characters due before a JUDGE… according official court lists sent out in error by staff
- Cartoon characters like Buzz Lightyear, Tinker Bell and Captain Hook were all listed to appear before the courts in what has been blamed as a ‘testing error’
- Bugs Bunny and Donald Duck were also listed at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court
- HM Courts and Tribunals Service said it was testing an upgraded listing system
It reads like list of Hollywood’s favourite cartoon characters, but it was actually the names of defendants set to appear before a British courtroom.
A testing error has been blamed after a string of fictional characters were listed on the court list at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.
Tinker Bell, Bugs Bunny and Captain Hook were all listed as defendants.
A testing error has been blamed after a string of cartoon characters appeared on the court list (pictured) at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court
Daphne Duck, Road Runner, Buzz Lightyear and Sleeping Beauty were also due for mention hearings on Thursday, according to the court list (pictured) at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court
Daphne Duck, Road Runner, Buzz Lightyear and Sleeping Beauty were also due for mention hearings on Thursday, while Disney favourites Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck were also listed as being due before a judge from 10am.
The names were released on initial lists issued by the court.
Social media posts from lawyers and court watchers speculated that the names had been posted due to a testing error or as a joke by an outgoing member of staff.
Real-life defendants also featured in the daily list, including some appearing by videolink from prison.
Bugs Bunny (left) and Tinker Bell (right) were some of the characters on the court listings made in error
The cartoon characters were listed on the court hearings at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court (pictured)
HM Courts and Tribunals Service confirmed on Wednesday night that the error was due to the characters being inputted to test an upgraded listing system.
The service said in a tweet: ‘Sorry for the error – we’ve been testing a new upgrade to our case management system and the names were created as test cases but should have been deleted before the lists were issued/published.
‘Our local team has updated the final list online, removing the test names/cases.’
HM Courts and Tribunals Service confirmed on Twitter that the error was due to the characters being inputted to test an upgraded listing system
Social media users poked fun at the error and joked about the characters listed
Andy claimed Bugs Bunny had it coming in a tongue-in-cheeky tweet on Wednesday
This lawyer seemed keen to get Tinker Bell in the dock to answer for her crimes
This Twitter user joked that the fake characters could take on a more Christmassy theme if the accident happened again
Social media users pokeed fun at the error with one pointing out a similar incidnt had occured at Bradford Crown Court.
‘That’s a disgrace,’ posted one social media user. ‘Road Runner is an innocent victim – it’s Wile E. Coyote who should be up before the beak.’
Another wrote: ‘It was only a matter of time before that wascally wabbit overstepped the mark.’
‘There was a similar outbreak of fun at Bradford crown court a week or so ago,’ someone else pointed out.
There, ‘Marmaduke Elmerton the third’ and ‘Cheasy Rider’ were among the names released on the comic lists, which clearly stated they were ‘tests’.