Barrister who is set to defend 'Starmer fire bomber' is fined after being caught drinking brandy in his car during a lunch break... of a trial
Dominic Charles D'Souza will defend one of the men charged over suspected arson attacks on the Prime Minister's properties this year.
But he has received a slight setback after being forced to cough up £3,000 by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) for 'professional misconduct' after his daydrinking caused a trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court, east London to collapse in March 2023.
The judge at the criminal trial was informed about the barrister's drinking and discharged the jury, the Telegraph reports.
Mr D'Souza, who describes himself as the 'exceptionally charismatic' head of crime at London's Goldsmith Chambers law firm, was filmed by a van driver tucking into a couple of sips of brandy while he sat in the driver's seat.
A BSB tribunal said: 'The film shows [Mr D'Souza] to take two short drinks from a bottle of spirits.'
The barrister initially denied drinking alcohol on that occasion, claiming instead that he had been swigging Kombucha from the bottle.
He later admitted drinking brandy, adding he 'was ill and...that he took drink to calm his stomach'.
The tribunal report says: 'When a report of this behaviour was made to the judge, Mr D'Souza withdrew from the case, the jury was discharged, and a new date was fixed for the criminal trial.'
The panel found he had 'behaved in a way which was likely to diminish the trust and confidence which the public places in him or in the profession'.
It added he had 'behaved in a way which foreseeably interfered with the administration of justice' and 'wasted the time of the court'.
The report concluded: 'It is difficult to conceive of a situation more likely to cause public disquiet than a barrister engaged in a trial sitting in the driver's seat of a car in the Crown Court car park drinking directly from a bottle of spirits.
'However, we bear in mind that [Mr D'Souza] believed himself to be acting unobserved in private, that he drank very little, and that he did so misguidedly in circumstances when he was unwell.
'There is no suggestion that [Mr D'Souza] was drunk before or after the event; in fact the evidence suggests he had performed effectively in Court.'
Mr D'Souza admitted the three disciplinary charges brought against him was fined £3,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,670.
It comes after he posted a pictured from inside his Tesla in 2021, appearing to show him driving at 59mph.
He claimed he had been 'parked in a service station' when it was taken and not driving.
No action was taken against the barrister as he avoided the maxium punishment of a £200 fine and six points on his licence.
The photo posted by Mr D'Souza looked as if it could only have been taken from the driver's seat with the digital dashboard of the vehicle clearly visible.
Mr D'Souza posted the photo on his LinkedIn page and captioned it: 'On the way to Manchester in the most miserable weather, but thanks heavens I have an electric car otherwise I would not be getting there at all!'
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Sky News
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July 5 2024, 1pm: I remember the moment so clearly. Keir Starmer stepped out of his sleek black car, grasped the hand of his wife Vic, dressed in Labour red, and walked towards a jubilant crowd of Labour staffers, activists and MPs waving union jacks and cheering a Labour prime minister into Downing Street for the first time in 14 years. Starmer and his wife took an age to get to the big black door, as they embraced those who had helped them win this election - their children hidden in the crowd to watch their dad walk into Number 10. Politics latest: Corbyn starts new party Keir Starmer, not the easiest public speaker, came to the podium and told the millions watching this moment the "country has voted decisively for change, for national renewal". He spoke about the "weariness at the heart of the nation" and "the lack of trust" in our politicians as a "wound" that "can only be healed by actions not words". He added: "This will take a while but the work of change begins immediately." A loveless landslide That was a day in which this prime minister made history. His was a victory on a scale that comes around but one every few decades. He won the largest majority in a quarter of a century and with it a massive opportunity to become one of the most consequential prime ministers of modern Britain - alongside the likes of Margaret Thatcher or Tony Blair. But within the win was a real challenge too. Starmer's was a loveless landslide, won on a lower share of the vote than Blair in all of his three victories and 6 percentage points lower than the 40% Jeremy Corbyn secured in the 2017 general election. 👉 Click here to listen to Electoral Dysfunction on your podcast app 👈 It was the lowest vote share than any party forming a post-war majority government. Support for Labour was as shallow as it was wide. In many ways then, it was a landslide built on shaky foundations: low public support, deep mistrust of politicians, unhappiness with the state of public services, squeezed living standards and public finances in a fragile state after the huge cost of the pandemic and persistent anaemic growth. Put another way, the fundamentals of this Labour government, whatever Keir Starmer did, or didn't do, were terrible. Blair came in on a new dawn. This Labour government, in many ways, inherited the scorched earth. The one flash of anger I've seen For the past year, I have followed Keir Starmer around wherever he goes. We have been to New York, Washington (twice), Germany (twice), Brazil, Samoa, Canada, Ukraine, the Netherlands and Brussels. I can't even reel off the places we've been to around the UK - but suffice to say we've gone to all the nations and regions. 2:03 What I have witnessed in the past year is a prime minister who works relentlessly hard. 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The Sun
25 minutes ago
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My kind son was murdered by his best friend over ‘gay song'…shocking secret about his past made my blood run cold
WHEN teenager Sachin Hawkins secured a place at Hull University to study education, his proud mum was thrilled her kind-hearted son was a step closer to fulfilling his dream of becoming a special needs teacher. But that bright future was snatched away one evening in his student kitchen, when he was brutally murdered in a savage attack by the person he'd classed as a close friend. 11 11 Following a petty quarrel over a song, Sachin's housemate Syed Hussain-Kazi, 26, belittled him for having 'gay' music taste before suddenly plunging a six-inch kitchen knife into his chest. Paramedics fought to save Sachin, 19, but he tragically succumbed to the fatal wound. Speaking to The Sun, his heartbroken mum Shira Javaid, 52, says she'll never forgive Hussain-Kazi for cruelly and ruthlessly taking her beloved son's life for 'a reason so silly as music'. Shira, a former eating disorder nurse specialist, says: 'Sachin should've been safe in his uni house. 'Every day my heart aches for my son. He was my world. Now he will never achieve his dream of being a teacher and I'l never see him graduate or get married.' Shira was a single mum to two children - Sachin, and her daughter, Aimee, now 18, three years younger than her brother. The family were originally from Catford, south east London, but in 2012, when Sachin was eight and Aimee was five, Shira and her kids emigrated to New York. She says: 'Being a single mum in London was hard and I needed more support. My mum lived in New York so we moved to be with her. 'Sachin was excited to be with his grandma. He was always the apple of her eye. 'But he always wished to return home one day. He was a very British boy, through and through. Heartbreaking Old Firm march Grieving parents call for knife crime action in Scotland ' Liverpool football club was his life. He lived in their merch. 'He also loved playing pranks on the family. He would terrorise his grandma. He was the joker and truly the light of our life.' As Sachin got older he volunteered teaching young children. Many had special needs, which inspired him to dream of becoming a special needs teacher. Sinister warning In 2022, aged 18, Sachin was accepted onto a four-year degree course studying special education teaching at Hull University, back in the UK. After moving into halls of residence in his first year, he made friends with a student down the corridor, Hussain-Kazi. Shira says: 'His dad, my sister and family were there in the UK too, so I knew he wouldn't be alone. 'Sachin and Syed grew close. He was very happy. We video-called every day. 'I planned to move back one day which gave me some comfort. 'One day Sachin told me his friend, Syed, had been in trouble with the law when he was very young. 'I said, 'Son, please be careful.' But Sachin told me I shouldn't judge and how everyone deserves a second chance in life. 'Sighing, I'd clearly brought my son up amazingly. He had such a kind, big heart. And I only heard lovely things about Syed, which put me at ease.' 'Special friend' 11 In 2023, during their second year, Sachin and Hussain-Kazi moved in together along with some other university pals. He would FaceTime his mum and sister every day. Shira says: 'Sometimes I'd spot Syed in the background. He was usually in Sachin's room, playing games and hanging out, and he'd occasionally wave hello. 'I remembered how Sachin had police checks before getting accepted into uni, so thought Syed must've had one too. 'Whatever trouble he'd been in must've not been anything serious. I was happy my son had made a special friend. 'Soon after, Sachin bought his plane ticket to come home for Christmas. He was planning to stay for two weeks.' But in November 2023, one month before he was due to come home, Sachin wasn't feeling well and had been texting his mum all week as usual. Sometimes I'd spot Syed in the background. He was usually in Sachin's room, playing games and hanging out, and he'd occasionally wave hello Shira Javaid Shira texted her son to say he could order dinner from her Uber Eats account for him and his flatmates. The next day, as she was getting ready for work, she realised Sachin hadn't opened the message or replied. 'I thought it was odd,' she recalls. 'Then suddenly I got a call from my sister. She was breathing heavily, and said that Sachin had been stabbed by his flatmate Syed. And he didn't survive. 'As I heard those two words, my world ended. Sobbing, I rushed to my daughter and told her Sachin had been killed. 'She dropped to the floor crying too. My mum heard the commotion. We all howled together, in disbelief and agony. 'Over the coming days police in Hull kept us in the loop. They told me Sachin did nothing wrong and he wasn't in any pain. But I needed more answers.' Desperate fight 11 After that, Shira spent every day on the phone with the US embassy in the UK, the mayor and schools, fighting to get Sachin's body back. Her family set up a GoFundMe page and strangers, as well as friends whose hearts Sachin had touched, raised over £24,000. A month later Sachin's body was flown over for the funeral. In April 2024, Shira flew back to the UK with her daughter and faced Sachin's killer at Hull Crown Court. She says: 'We finally pieced together what happened. Just 15 minutes before I'd texted Sachin about dinner, he'd been cleaning the kitchen that afternoon with Syed whilst playing music. 'Syed called Sachin's music taste 'gay' and that he was a 'f*ggot'. 'They began arguing and suddenly, Syed lunged at Sachin, pushed him against the kitchen door and stabbed him in the chest with a six-inch bladed kitchen knife, yelling, 'Who's the b**** now?' 'The other housemates rushed in and saw Syed stood over Sachin clutching a large kitchen knife. 'Syed was arrested outside on the street, whilst their flatmates tried desperately to save Sachin's life. Thinking of my son's last moments, and how he did absolutely nothing to deserve it, broke me Shira Javaid 'But as ambulances arrived, Sachin was pronounced dead. 'Thinking of my son's last moments, and how he did absolutely nothing to deserve it, broke me. 'On top of that, Syed showed no remorse on the stand, and kept saying he couldn't remember, or that he didn't mean to do it. 'It tore me apart that he couldn't just admit what he did. I wanted him to heal for himself and accept treatment and help." It was during Syed's trial that shocking evidence emerged about his obsession with knives. He had previously terrified another first-year student flatmate when he "started swinging a 30cm knife" in front of her face. She fled to her room and locked herself in before moving in with a friend. He also had previous convictions for two offences, including a knifepoint street robbery in 2019, with a kitchen knife. Shira said: 'Aimee and I heard of his history of knives and how there had been another incident before at halls with him waving knives near students. 'I realised it must've been what Sachin had briefly told me about.' Justice In April last year Syed Hussain-Kazi, 26, of Hardy Street, Hull was found guilty of murdering Sachin and sentenced to life, with a minimum of 18 years. Sentencing him, Judge John Thackray referred to Hussain-Kazi's fascination with kitchen knives and said he had 'needlessly and mercilessly' taken Sachin's life. He added: "Physically he was no match for you. He was seven stones and you are 12 stones when you pushed him to the door and stabbed him." Shira says she felt a wave of relief as Hussain-Kazi was led down to the cells. 'I was relieved he couldn't hurt another person," she said. "But my son should've been safe in his home at university. 'He robbed my son of his life over something so ridiculous like a song. 'As I left Hull after the sentencing, it was heartbreaking as I felt like I was leaving Sachin. I miss how he was unapologetically in love with me, too, never afraid to give his mum a kiss or hug in front of his friends. Shira Javaid 'Now I'm back home in New York, and every day my heart aches for him. 'Sachin will never achieve his dream of being a special education teacher. His sister has no brother and my mum has no grandson. 'I miss his jokes, his pranks and his laughter. 'Most importantly, I miss how he was unapologetically in love with me, too, never afraid to give his mum a kiss or hug in front of his friends. 'I feel so lucky to have had a son like him. I want to keep his memory alive, and stop knife violence that is destroying families.' 11
