A Bristol barrister convicted of assault under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 has been removed from the profession. A disciplinary tribunal of the Bar Tribunals and Adjudication Service found that Kevin Farquharson, called in 2011 and formerly a member of Albion Chambers, had sexually assaulted a person identified as A in the early hours of 28 September 2019.
Later in that day, the tribunal heard, he sent a text message to A asking her to respond to a subsequent text with a scripted message which was not a truthful account of events in the early hours.
Farquharson was convicted by the magistrates court of one offence of sexual assault and sentenced to six months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months. He was also ordered to pay £1,800 compensation, a victim surcharge of £128 and made subject to notification requirements of the Sexual Offences Act for a period of seven years.
Following a hearing, the tribunal ruled that, by asking A to lie about events, Farquharson had engaged in conduct likely to diminish the trust and confidence which the profession places in him.
Farquharson was disbarred and ordered to pay costs of £2,100 to the Bar Standards Board. The judgment is open to appeal.
