A contempt of court charge brought against former NI Secretary Peter Hain regarding criticisms he made of a judge in Northern Ireland has been dropped. Hain had written to Attorney General John Larkin about the remarks, stressing he never intended to question Lord Justice Paul Girvan’s motivation in handling a judicial review. Larkin said the case against Mr Hain — who had faced a charge of “scandalising a judge” despite doubts from his lawyers over the existence of the offence — no longer needed to continue.