Education Lawyer Taught a Lesson

On 16th September 2022, news emerged of the decision by the criminal courts to sentence a lawyer who specialized in the law of education to a period of four years imprisonment following his conviction for sexual offenses.

What Happened In The Case?

The lawyer reportedly made contact with his female accuser whilst he was frequenting one of the many internet dating websites which are available online. The pair had then proceeded to meet in person and had had two successful dates. However, matters took a turn for the worse in around 2017 following a third date when the female victim attended the lawyer’s house. After an incident took place at the house the female victim submitted allegations of rape against the lawyer. The lawyer protested his innocence of the allegations throughout the investigation and proceeded to plead not guilty to the criminal charges during the court proceedings. 

What Did The Court Say?

When the jury considered the evidence which had been presented to them by the prosecution and defense they returned a verdict of guilty on the sexual offense charges. When the verdict was delivered to the court the lawyer struggled to keep his composure, failed to control his emotions, and decided to shout at the jury by protesting his innocence of the charges leveled against him. He claimed he had been communicating what he described as ‘the truth’. The counsel who was instructed to represent the lawyer during the court proceedings presented to the jury, the case of a man who had made an error in the heat of the moment. He appealed for the mercy of the court promising that he would never disturb the court in this way in the future. The council described how the lawyer was mentally grappling with what had happened to him apparently due to a disability.

However, the judge gave short shrift to the defense put forward by the lawyer and commented that due to the lawyer’s conduct a sentence of imprisonment was the only reasonable outcome because his behavior was a completely unacceptable state of affairs. In this regard, the judge hearing the case decided to hand down a custodial sentence of four years imprisonment to the lawyer. The judge explained to the lawyer, the court, and the wider public the reasons for the passing of the custodial sentence. He enlightened the court that the impact the lawyer’s behavior had had on the victim of the criminal offense inflicted upon her by the now convicted lawyer and in a few short seconds, he had had a significant impact upon her life and also his own.

Lessons Learned?

In light of this most tragic of cases those aspiring for a career in the legal profession or those already established like the lawyer in this example should be remembering to:

• how lucky they are to be in the successful career position they are in
• realize that a misjudgment, momentary mistake, and error can land them in trouble
• recognize how close they are to losing their career, job, and liberty if they do not think through their actions
• act professionally at all times
• appreciate the potential impact their conduct may be having on potential victims and
• make sure they think through extremely carefully the use of the array of social media, gambling, and dating apps as they have the potential to be extremely damaging to the career of a legal professional.

I they keep out of trouble then they will be better placed to have a successful career in the legal profession. 

Written by Adam Green

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THE ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN USING THE FOLLOWING SOURCES 

[SOURCE 1] Central News – Barrister Jailed for four years for rape – 16 September 2022 – Law Society Gazette - Barrister jailed for four years for rape | News | Law Gazette

[SOURCE 2] Rose, Neil – Barrister jailed for four years after rape conviction – 16 September 2022 – Legal Futures - Barrister jailed for four years after rape conviction - Legal Futures

[SOURCE 3] Giddings, Alice – Barrister said, It’s not funny, I shouldn’t laugh and chuckled after raping a woman he met on Tinder, court hears – Daily Mail – 22 August 2022 - Barrister said 'It's not funny, I shouldn't laugh' after 'raping a woman he met on Tinder' | Daily Mail Online