2 days ago
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
The barrister set to represent an alleged fire bomber of Sir Keir Starmer 's house has been fined after he was caught drinking from a bottle of 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 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!'
