A barrister who sent 14 emails claiming he was progressing his client’s case when he was not has been disbarred. The Bar Tribunals and Adjudication Service said John Grahame Mitton stated that he had lodged an application to settle legal proceedings and had sought a hearing date when he had done neither.

Mitton, previously a director at Newcastle firm PG Legal, was instructed to act for the client in an employment dispute with a recruitment agency in 2015. In June last year, Mitton was banned from working in the solicitors’ profession.

Commenting on the order, Sara Jagger, director of professional conduct at the Bar Standards Board, said: ‘The decision to disbar reflects the accepted view that dishonesty is incompatible with membership of the bar.’

The tribunal’s decision is open to appeal.