Investigation into 'bogus' court barrister who represented defendant at crown court
AN INVESTIGATION has been launched into how a man pretending to be a
barrister represented a defendant at Plymouth Crown Court, The Herald
-
can reveal.
The man, who was dressed in a gown and barrister's wig, was spotted by a sharp-eyed judge who became suspicious.
The man, who called himself David Evans, was representing a defendant whose case had been transferred from Truro Crown Court.
Judge Stephen Wildblood QC became suspicious when he spotted the man was wearing a barrister's wig and silk gown.
The judge asked him some basic points of law that he said any solicitor or barrister would have been able to answer correctly.
The man was unable to give a reply.
Judge Wildblood then asked him if he was a solicitor, to which he replied "No".
He gave the same reply when the judge asked if he was a barrister.
The
man was asked for an address — understood to be the name of his
chambers — but it turned out to be a printing works in Wandsworth,
London.
The 'David Evans' name used by the man — whose actual
identity has yet to be confirmed — is the same as 60 genuinely
practising barristers throughout the UK, according to an official
barristers' database.
According to the Law Society, it is an offence to wilfully impersonate a barrister.
A
spokesman from the Judicial Office for England and Wales said: "Judge
Wildblood has reported (the man) to the Law Society and the Crown
Prosecution Service, who are investigating further."
The CPS said last night that a file would need to be presented to them from the police.
The Law Society made no comment.
13 Comments
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by It's a Laugh!, Chambers
Sunday, September 05 2010, 6:36PM
“Who called the Judge a Moron??
Which Moron called him a Judge??
Fancy Dress in Court.....They started it!”
by TheWatchFulEye, Everywhere
Sunday, September 05 2010, 10:20AM
“Lets face it, when you get paid in excess of £650 an hour, most of the Barrister/Judge conversations tend to obivate around trivial things such as whether you are a real barrister or not. The main thing here is that the Barrister in question would have still charged for his 20 minute conversation”
by TheWatchFulEye, Everywhere
Sunday, September 05 2010, 10:20AM
“Lets face it, when you get paid in excess of £650 an hour, most of the Barrister/Judge conversations tend to obivate around trivial things such as whether you are a real barrister or not. The main thing here is that the Barrister in question would have still charged for his 20 minute conversation”
by Nadine, Plymouth
Sunday, September 05 2010, 9:02AM
“Apparently the bogus barrister had just been released from prison having served time for impersonating a doctor.”
by Alan, torpoint
Sunday, September 05 2010, 8:49AM
“So a man with no knowledge of the law pretends to be s solicitor! we have people with no knowledge of punishment,or common sense. pretending to be judges and no one seem to object”
by holtek, Plymouth, Wisconsin USA
Sunday, September 05 2010, 4:55AM
“Judge: Have you in fact any knowledge of the law at all?
Barrister: Yes, m'lord!
Judge: Really?
(pause)
Barrister: No. Not really, sir.
Judge: You haven't.
Barrister: No sir. Not a scrap. I was deliberately wasting your time, sir.
Judge: Well I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to shoot you.
Barrister: Right-0, sir.
*****BANG!****
Judge: What a *senseless* waste of human life.”
by Tina, Plymouth
Saturday, September 04 2010, 5:49PM
“If he was an imposter, then why was he not arrested by security?.”
by Jenny, Plymouth
Saturday, September 04 2010, 12:31PM
“I bet it was old Rumpole of the Bailey up to his old tricks, my old darlings after several larges glasses of a fine red at lunch time, especially if her indorrs was away. LOL
Bring Back Rumpole.....”
by Jenny, Plymouth
Saturday, September 04 2010, 12:29PM
“I bet it was Rumpole of the Bailey up to his old tricks my old Darling, especially if her indoors was away! LOL
It would surely be a welcome return for old Rumpole......”
by Mick, Barbican
Saturday, September 04 2010, 12:17PM
“As I understand it, any defendant can either represent himself in court, or get a friend to do it.
If the friend dresses up like a barrister I should imagine it doesn't really matter.”