The Bar Standards Board has received a complaint about Russell Brand's lawyer following a foul-mouthed outburst against a journalist moments after the verdicts.
The organisation has had at least one complaint from a member of the public since the incident, which saw Ian Winter KC launch an astonishing rant at Sunday Times chief news correspondent Rosamund Urwin outside the courtroom moments after the verdict. The barrister approached Ms Urwin, who was part of a joint investigation by the Sunday Times and Channel 4's Dispatches, telling her: "I hope you're pleased with yourself".
Ms Urwin replied: "I'm pleased justice has been done", to which Mr Winter responded, "Well it wasn't… you f***ed it," before sarcastically adding, "Congratulations" and storming away.
Complaint lodged with regulator
Writing on X, Richard Farquhar said: "The behaviour of Ian Winter KC delivering foul mouthed abuse at @RosamundUrwin at the end of the Russell Brand trial was revolting & wholly reprehensible. I have written to his chambers & to @thebarcouncil urging them to act. Others should do so. clerks@clothfairchambers.com"
Mr Farquhar also posted a copy of his email to both the Bar Council and Mr Winter's Chambers. In it, he wrote: "I put it to you that such behaviour that brings him, Cloth Fair Chambers and the profession in general into disrepute must be severely punished. I would urge you to ensure that Mr Winter offers a full and unreserved apology to Ms Urwin at the earliest opportunity. And if you are not prepared to act to ensure that it is quite clearly demonstrated that his behaviour was wholly unacceptable, I would expect the Bar Council to insist that he does or face significant censure."
A spokesperson for The Bar Standards Board said: "The Bar Standards Board does not comment as to whether or not it has received any information about potential misconduct by a barrister regardless of how any information comes to our attention. Such matters are dealt with in accordance with the procedures set out in detail on our website. These procedures are usually conducted confidentially unless they result in a listing for a Disciplinary Tribunal hearing. Such listings are published on the Bar Tribunals & Adjudication Service website and hearings are held in public."
Editor defends journalist
The revelations by Ms Urwin and her colleagues in September 2023 prompted four women to come forward to police, while another two came forward once Brand had been charged.
Ms Urwin's editor, Ben Taylor, defended her following Mr Winter's outburst. In an interview on Times Radio, he said: "I found what Mr Winter did quite extraordinary. I have never seen or heard of a barrister behaving in this way. There is a really serious point here, which is that it was not Ros who found Russell Brand guilty at Southwark Crown Court. It was a jury of eight men and four women who have sat through this case. They've listened to the evidence, they've listened to the defence, and they have gone away and they've come back with some very considered verdicts."
Brand attempted to get the trial scrapped just days before it began by claiming he could not have a fair trial due to the publication of claims against him in a Channel 4 Dispatches TV show and the Times and Sunday Times following a joint investigation published in September 2023. He had attempted to smear journalists as "criminals" while claiming women who accused him of abuse were "fictional" in a desperate bid to avoid facing trial. The attempt was dismissed by judge Mr Justice Bennathan who ruled that the jury could be made up of people who had not seen the 2023 media reporting.
Complaint process outlined
According to information on the Bar Standards Board website, when a complaint is made the organisation will "check that the concern relates to someone or something we regulate" and "assess whether there is a potential breach of the BSB Handbook". Their guidelines add: "If we determine there has been, carry out a risk assessment to see whether the issue has harmed, or could harm, people, their legal rights, or public confidence".
They say they can then either "give the barrister informal advice, ask our Supervision Team to work with the barrister or organisation to improve things, refer the concern to our Investigation and Enforcement Team for a formal investigation, decide not to take action, but keep the information to inform our future work." Information on their website adds: "We aim to complete an initial assessment of your concern within about eight weeks, and if we need more information, we will contact you."
The Mirror has contacted Cloth Fair Chambers for comment.
