Russell Brand barrister reports himself to watchdog over clash with journalist - The Guardian
By Google News Investigations ·
Ian Winter KC told Rosamund Urwin of the Sunday Times, whose investigation led to Brand’s victims coming forward: ‘I hope you are pleased with yourself’
Russell Brand’s barrister has reported himself to his professional regulator after being accused of launching a tirade at a journalist shortly after his client had been found guilty of rape.
Ian Winter KC “confronted” the Sunday Times journalist Rosamund Urwin, whose investigation led to Brand’s victims coming forward, telling her: “I hope you are pleased with yourself.”
Urwin responded: “I’m pleased justice has been done,” to which Winter replied: “Well, it wasn’t. You fucked it.”
“Congratulations,” he added, in an incident that happened outside the courtroom door at Southwark crown court on Thursday afternoon, with a group of journalists watching.
In a statement issued on Friday lunchtime, Winter said he had referred himself to the Bar Standards Board, his professional regulator.
He said: “Having seen the ways matters have been characterised in today’s press, I consider my professional duty requires me to self-report those allegations to the Bar Standards Board so the matter can be subject to proper scrutiny.
The incident happened moments after a jury had found Brand guilty of rape and three counts of sexual assault at the conclusion of a four-week trial. He was cleared of two further charges of rape and one of attempted indecent assault.
Brand, 51, had denied all the charges against him, and argued through his lawyer that he had been wrongly accused and was the victim of a media conspiracy.
After the trial, experts added to calls for a change in the law to ensure juries are warned against “rape myths”.
In his closing speech, Winter said none of the complainants had “resisted or screamed or even tried to…
Originally published by Google News Investigations
