Teenage colleague 'instigated' sex fantasy, lawyer tells tribunal

A married male City solicitor has told a tribunal that a fantasised sexual relationship with an 18-year-old female colleague was consensual and on occasion encouraged by her. 

Oliver Bretherton, formerly a director with international firm Gowling WLG, admitted to exchanging sexual WhatsApp messages and videos with his junior colleague and that she sat in his office and opened her legs to him so he could see her underwear.

He denied the allegation of the woman, referred to as Person A, that he told her he wanted to ‘f*** her’ in his office in full view of everybody.

But he accepted that he sent a video of himself masturbating and asked her to send videos and pictures of her doing the same. The SRA alleges that he abused his seniority and took advantage of his position, but Bretherton denies acting without integrity and acting in a way that upholds trust and confidence in the profession.

Giving evidence in cross-examination on day seven of the hearing, Bretherton, now 41, said this was a ‘consensual’ relationship and that he had not taken advantage of his seniority.

‘I had a relationship between someone I viewed at the time as an adult who was mature and very confident and very vocal in what she wanted me to know about her sex life previously,’ he said.

‘At the time I believed it was something not only that she wanted to engage with but she was actively encouraging and instigating. A lot of these were started by her. I should have stopped it but I genuinely looked at it as two consenting adults engaging in an activity they both wanted to be involved with.’

Nimi Bruce, representing the SRA, said there was a ‘power imbalance’ between Bretherton and Person A, adding: ‘What you have admitted is really quite extraordinary. It is appalling in terms of what you did.’

Bretherton said: ‘I don’t think that appalling is the right word but I definitely did activity that I very sincerely regret.’

He added: ’I knew it was inappropriate. I was married. I don’t think I can sit here morally and say it was a positive thing.

’I sincerely regret it and the effect it has had on loved ones. The morality from my perspective was that I was betraying my wife.’

The tribunal heard Bretherton denied giving Person A money to buy a vibrator but admitted they discussed her using one. He could not recall if, as has been alleged, he told her he wanted to ‘f*** her over a pool table'.

He admitted discussing Person A’s sex life with her in the office and that these conversations turned him on at the time. He accepted that he talked with Person A ranking the most attractive people in the office and also admitted sending her a link to leaked nude photos of a Love Island contestant after they had discussed the programme.

Bruce added: ‘We have heard a lot about your attitude to women, we have heard you are a champion of women in the office… leaked images of a young woman are images of somebody’s daughter… This is something that speaks volumes about your attitude to women that you would discuss with a work colleague and perhaps even send to her leaked nudes of a woman.’

The hearing continues.