Latest news with #GoldsmithChambers
Daily Mail
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
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!'
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Barrister defending ‘Starmer fire-bomber' fined for drinking during a trial
A barrister who will defend an alleged fire-bomber of Sir Keir Starmer's house has been fined after he was caught drinking brandy in his car during the lunch break of a trial. Dominic Charles D'Souza had a daytime drink in the car park of Snaresbrook Crown Court in east London in March 2023. The trial collapsed when his tipple was discovered by the judge, who discharged the jury. Mr D'Souza has now been fined £3,000 by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) for 'professional misconduct'. A tribunal heard last month that the barrister, who is head of crime at London's Goldsmith Chambers, was representing a client in a criminal trial on March 23. During the lunch break, Mr D'Souza went to his car and drank brandy while sitting in the driver's seat. He was filmed by the driver of a van parked next to him, who then made a complaint to the judge. 'The film shows [Mr D'Souza] to take two short drinks from a bottle of spirits,' a BSB tribunal found. Mr D'Souza initially denied that he had been drinking brandy and told the BSB he 'was drinking Kombucha from a brandy bottle'. But he later admitted drinking brandy, saying he 'was ill and... that he took drink to calm his stomach'. The tribunal's report reads: '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 concluded that the barrister 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 found that he had also 'behaved in a way which foreseeably interfered with the administration of justice' and 'wasted the time of the court'. '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,' the panel ruled. '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.' It added: '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, who was called to the bar in 1993, admitted three disciplinary charges brought against him by the Bar Tribunals & Adjudication Service (BTAS). He was fined £3,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,670. Mr D'Souza is one of Britain's most prominent defence barristers and is said to achieve 'spectacular results for clients', according to his Goldsmith Chambers biography. 'Dominic is an exceptionally charismatic jury advocate and over his 25 years at the Bar has become well known for his powerful cross examinations and dramatic closing speeches,' it reads. He has been instructed to defend one of the men charged in connection with arson attacks on properties owned by the Prime Minister earlier this year. The barrister was previously in hot water in 2021 after he posted a photo from inside his electric Tesla car that appeared to show he was travelling at 59mph. He denied that he was driving when the photo was taken, saying he was 'parked in a service station'. Using a mobile phone while driving is a criminal offence punishable by a £200 fine and six points on a licence. However, no further action was taken against D'Souza.
