£3k
A barrister has been fined £3,000 by the Bar Tribunals & Adjudication Service after he was reported to be drinking alcohol in his car during a break in a criminal trial.
Dominic Charles D’Souza was representing a client at Snaresbrook Crown Court in North East London when, during a break in proceedings, he consumed alcohol in his car which was parked in the court’s carpark. The tribunal does not disclosed what exactly he drank.
D’Souza withdrew from the case as result of other allegations which were not pursued by the regulator and which the tribunal accepted were false. The jury was discharged and a new trial date was fixed.
D’Souza, a tenant of London’s Goldsmith Chambers, admitted all three charges against him, conceding that he had behaved in a way likely to diminish public trust in his profession, as well as wasting the time of the court and foreseeably interfering with the administration of justice.
The barrister was fined £3,000, £1,000 on each charge, and ordered to pay £2,670 in costs, although the findings and sanction remain open to appeal.
UPDATE: 11 July, 16:23pm: An earlier version of this article stated that Mr D’Souza’s drinking led to his withdrawal from a trial. In fact, his withdrawal followed more serious allegations made against him, which were later found to be false. We are happy to clarify this.
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