The two Leveson lawyers who went on holiday to a Greek island during the media standards inquiry may face an investigation by the barristers’ disciplinary body.
A senior MP yesterday wrote to the Bar Standards Board asking it to examine Daily Mail revelations about the affair between celebrities’ barrister David Sherborne and Carine Patry Hoskins, a member of Lord Justice Leveson’s legal team.
The couple admit going to Santorini – apparently only to ‘discuss the possibility of a future relationship’ – but claim their affair did not begin until after the Leveson report was published in November.
Affair: Mr Sherborne, a barrister who represented Hugh Grant, and Mrs Patry Hoskins, a member of Lord Justice Leveson’s legal team, claim their relationship did not start until after the inquiry
But Rob Wilson, a Tory MP and aide to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, wants the board to examine whether there may have been a breach of the Bar’s code of conduct.
Mr Wilson, who has already asked Lord Justice Leveson to investigate the barristers’ affair, said: ‘It is only right that an inquiry into breaches of ethical standards be seen to be completely above board itself.
More...
The Leveson lovers and a compromised Inquiry that's begun a chilling assault on free speech
The public interest in this 'private' affair
Named - and shamed - for 20 months...but even I think arrests must be made public, says former newspaper executive Neil Wallis, who was wrongly accused of phone hacking
‘If there have been breaches of the legal profession’s ethical code of conduct by members of the Leveson Inquiry team, these must be accounted for to the public.
‘If this affair isn’t investigated promptly and properly, it risks becoming a stain on the reputation of the Leveson Inquiry.’
Twice-married Mr Sherborne, 44, and 40-year-old Mrs Patry Hoskins did not tell Lord Justice Leveson about their affair and he only learnt of their trip to Santorini in recent days.
Not informed: Lord Justice Leveson was not told about the affair and only learned about the couple's holidaying together in the past week
A spokesman for the judge said yesterday: ‘Lord Justice Leveson understands that the Bar Standards Board is aware of the recent Press reports. It is a matter for the board to decide what, if any, action to take.’
MP letter: Rob Wilson wants Bar Standards Board to examine whether there may have been a breach of the code of conduct
Bar Council guidelines warn barristers it is very unwise to have relationships with counsel involved in the same case because clients might perceive ‘a danger of breach of confidence or other conspiracy’.
That would be likely to breach the lawyers’ code of conduct.
It prohibits barristers from acting ‘where by reason of any connection with the client, the court, or otherwise’, a barrister’s professional independence ‘might be compromised or there might be prejudice or the appearance of prejudice to the administration of justice’.
In his letter, Mr Wilson asks the board to investigate whether there have been several breaches of the code.
These include engaging in conduct likely to diminish public confidence in the legal profession or otherwise bring the legal profession into disrepute, a requirement to act with independence and not to do anything that may lead to any inference that a barrister’s independence may be compromised.
The Bar Standards Board will normally carry out an initial assessment before deciding whether to undertake a formal investigation which could lead to a disciplinary tribunal.
The board can impose punishments ranging from words of advice, fines or suspension to ultimately having a barrister struck off.
Calls for an investigation came after it emerged that Mr Sherborne and mother-of-two Mrs Patry Hoskins went to Santorini last August, days after the public hearings concluded and months before the inquiry ended.
Father-of-three Mr Sherborne represented Hugh Grant and other phone-hacking victims at the Leveson Inquiry.
Glamorous brunette Mrs Patry Hoskins, nicknamed the ‘thinking man’s Pippa Middleton’, was required to be totally independent when testing evidence given to the £6million inquiry on behalf of the public.
