NEW BEDFORD — Anonymous notes alleging a sexual relationship between a New Bedford District Court judge and a Bristol County prosecutor are the basis for an appeal of a man’s indecent assault and battery conviction.
An appeal on a second man’s conviction for indecent assault and battery is also being sought based on the notes.
The two appeals could potentially impact all of the cases in which the former judge, Douglas J. Darnbrough, and the assistant Bristol County District attorney identified in the anonymous notes, both participated in.
However, according to the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office, the Massachusetts Trial Court had investigated the allegations and found no evidence of the relationship.
In a filing with the court on Monday, the DA’s Office states, “When the Trial Court investigation concluded, the Trial Court informed the District Attorney’s Office that their investigation found no evidence of a relationship between our employee and the judge.”
The DA’s Office stated that the ADA, as well as more than one other employee in the DA’s Office, were being targeted by the same “harasser,” with a “personal animus against them.”