CPS prosecutor cites AI hallucination in child rape case
Published: 03/11/2026
| The Guardian
A senior Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecutor cited a fictitious legal precedent during court proceedings, reigniting concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) hallucinations in the English legal system.
High Court documents revealed that Ravinder Dhillon, a prosecutor in the CPS rape and serious sexual offences unit, submitted a non-existent reference: CPS – R v J [2024] EWCA Crim 3529, while arguing in favour of prosecuting an 11-year-old child. The reference originated from an AI-generated internet search summary. Dhillon later confirmed the citation was an error and that she had intended to rely on an authentic case decided 15 years earlier, an explanation two senior High Court judges termed unsatisfactory.
Although the court ruled the AI hallucination did not alter the decision to proceed with the trial, legal academics characterised the error as a serious failure that compromises systemic trust in judicial authorities. The incident marks the second known instance of CPS prosecutors relying on fictitious references, following an extradition hearing in February where similar errors occurred, amidst a wider surge of AI-induced inaccuracies appearing in court proceedings.
Training Announcement: The BCS Foundation Certificate in AI examines the challenges and risks associated with AI projects, such as those related to privacy, transparency and potential biases in algorithms that could lead to unintended consequences. Explore the role of data, effective risk management strategies, compliance requirements, and ongoing governance of the AI lifecycle and become a certified AI Governance professional. Find out more.
What is this page?
You are reading a summary article on the Privacy Newsfeed, a free resource for DPOs and other professionals with privacy or data protection responsibilities helping them stay informed of industry news all in one place. The information here is a brief snippet relating to a single piece of original content or several articles about a common topic or thread. The main contributor is listed in the top left-hand corner, just beneath the article title.
The Privacy Newsfeed monitors over 300 global publications, of which more than 3,250 summary articles have been posted to the online archive dating back to the beginning of 2020. A weekly roundup is available by email every Friday.