Philip Stott of QEB Hollis Whiteman appeared on behalf of the Bar Standards Board (BSB) in a recent disciplinary hearing before the Bar Tribunals and Adjudication Service (BTAS), which resulted in the disbarment of a barrister.
The case concerned a barrister, James Boyle, who was convicted in June 2023 of multiple historic sexual offences, namely rape of a female under 16, indecent assault, and rape of a female over 16. The offences occurred between 1986 and 1988 whilst the barrister was serving in a previous profession as a police officer. He was sentenced to 16 years' imprisonment.
The barrister, who was called to the Bar in 1999, was still in practice at the time he was charged and faced three charges of professional misconduct before the tribunal. These included acting in a manner likely to diminish public trust in the profession by virtue of his conviction and imprisonment for those serious sexual offences, and two charges relating to his failure to report the charges and subsequent convictions to the BSB in a timely manner.
The tribunal heard that the barrister's appeal against conviction had been dismissed by the Court of Appeal. The tribunal ordered that the barrister be disbarred.
The case has been covered in Legal Press:
Philip Stott