A judge who described burglary as requiring "a huge amount of courage" has been reprimanded for damaging public confidence in the judicial process.

Judge Peter Bowers has been issued with a reprimand by the Office for Judicial Complaints (OJC) after complaints were made about his remarks in Teesside Crown Court in September this year, when handing down a sentence to a 26-year-old man for burglary.

Bowers also said during the sentencing that he thought jail often did criminals little good, with the burglar in question spared a prison sentence and instead handed a two-year supervision order with drug rehabilitation and 200 hours' unpaid work, as well as a one-year driving ban.

The OJC statement says: "His Honour Judge Peter Bowers has been issued with a reprimand following complaints about remarks he made during his sentencing of a burglar at Teesside Crown Court.

"The Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice considered his comments to have damaged public confidence in the judicial process."

The news comes after a number of high-profile incidents relating to judicial conduct in recent months, with High Court judge Mr Justice Coleridge last week cleared of misconduct by the OJC after a complaint was made to the judicial watchdog in light of the launch of his pro-marriage charity, The Marriage Foundation, in May this year.

The OJC said that it did not consider Coleridge's involvement with the charity to be incompatible with his judicial responsibilities; however, following the investigation Coleridge has agreed to take a lower profile role in the organisation.

Meanwhile, high-profile judge and author Constance Briscoe was suspended from the judiciary this October pending a police investigation into allegations against her.