Call to improve court system after 83-day case

The Chief Justice has called for improvements to the way court cases are dealt with following the dismissal of an appeal over an amateur golfer’s claim that he had been falsely accused of cheating about his handicap that lasted 83 days.

Mrs Justice Susan Denham said the system would benefit from applying case management “so the best use can be made of scarce court resources for the benefit of all litigants”.

She was giving a concurring judgment with Supreme Court colleagues Peter Charleton and Adrian Hardiman in dismissing Thomas Talbot’s appeal against a High Court finding that he had not been defamed when he was sent a notice by his club referring to “handicap-building”.