Russell Brand barrister refers himself to regulator after courtroom confrontation report

Ian Winter KC, the barrister who defended Russell Brand, has referred himself to the Bar Standards Board after a journalist reported that he confronted her outside court following Brand’s conviction for rape and sexual assault. The incident occurred outside Southwark crown court on Thursday, shortly after a jury found Brand guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. The comedian was cleared of two further rape charges and one charge of attempted indecent assault.

Brand denied all the allegations and argued during the trial that he had been wrongly accused and targeted by a media conspiracy. Rosamund Urwin of the Sunday Times said she approached Winter because her name had been mentioned during the proceedings. According to accounts reported by the BBC and the Guardian, Winter told her: “I hope you are pleased with yourself.” Urwin said she replied that she was pleased justice had been done, to which he responded that it had not and used a profanity.

The precise exchange is described through the accounts of those involved and has not been adjudicated by the professional regulator. In a statement, Winter said that, having seen how the matter had been characterised in the press, he considered his professional duty required him to report the allegations to the Bar Standards Board so they could be examined. The Bar Standards Board regulates barristers in England and Wales.

It said it would not comment on whether it had received information about possible misconduct, explaining that complaints are normally handled confidentially unless they lead to a disciplinary tribunal hearing. Urwin’s investigation for the Sunday Times was among the reporting that preceded allegations against Brand becoming public, although the BBC noted that none of the women featured in the 2023 media investigation were complainants in Brand’s criminal trial. The trial lasted four weeks and ended with Brand being held in custody ahead of sentencing on Monday.

The judge told him to expect a significant custodial term. The confrontation has prompted criticism from journalists and public figures. Ben Taylor, the Sunday Times editor, defended Urwin and said the verdict had been delivered by a jury of eight men and four women after hearing the evidence and the defence case.

He argued that attacking the journalist’s integrity also challenged the wider proceedings. The case has also renewed discussion about how rape allegations are treated in court. Claire Waxman, the victims’ commissioner for England and Wales, has called for juries to receive warnings about rape myths, including assumptions that victims must resist, scream or immediately report an attack.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley supported examining the issue and said people respond in different ways, including fighting, freezing or waiting years before speaking. The prime minister, Andy Burnham, was reported as believing Waxman’s proposal should be examined. The regulator’s referral will determine whether any professional conduct issue requires further action; the supplied reports do not indicate that an investigation has reached a conclusion.