A barrister who supplied his boyfriend with ‘chemsex’ drugs that led to his death has been suspended for three years.
The decision to suspend Henry Hendron follows a hearing by the Bar Tribunals and Adjudication Service yesterday.
In March last year Hendron pleaded guilty to two charges of possessing controlled drugs with intent to supply. The suspension takes effect from May 2016 when the barrister was sentenced at the Central Criminal Court to a community order with 18 months supervision.
In 2015 it was reported that Hendron had bought £1,000 of mephedrone and GBL to take to parties and sell on to friends. GBL (gamma-butyrolactone), has been used on the ‘chemsex’ party scene as it can raise sexual arousal.
The court heard that Hendron gave instructions to his boyfriend Miguel Jimenez on how to use and package the drugs. But on the morning of January 20 Hendron woke up to find Jimenez had died.
Sara Jagger, the BSB director of professional conduct, said: ‘A conviction for supplying illegal drugs is a serious matter. In this case, it had tragic consequences. Hendron failed to meet one of the core duties of a barrister, which is to uphold public trust and confidence.’
In addition to the suspension, Hendron was fined £2,000 for two charges relating to administrative failings as a head of chambers.
These included failing to make sure fees earned by a particular barrister were properly and efficiently administered, and failing to give proper notice to a barrister when asking that barrister to leave the chambers.
Hendron was called to the bar by Middle Temple in November 2006. He has represented Conservative MP Nadine Dorries and Stella English, a content on TV show The Apprentice.
