The Bar Standards Board issues statement saying it had already taken action against Michael Shrimpton following his conviction earlier this year for possession of indecent images of children
Bar regulators have suspended Michael Shrimpton following his conviction yesterday for a bomb hoax involving the Queen and the London Olympics.
The Bar Standards Board (BSB) this evening announced that it has begun professional misconduct proceedings against Shrimpton, who was also recently convicted of storing indecent images of children on his computer.
In a statement, the BSB said that it:
“was aware of yesterday’s court proceedings involving Mr Shrimpton in relation to a bomb hoax and had already begun professional misconduct proceedings against him as a result.
“Following Mr Shrimpton’s conviction yesterday and considering also his previous conviction … an immediate suspension order has been issued today. This will prohibit Mr Shrimpton from practising as a barrister.”
The BSB added that when it was made aware of the child pornography charges in April last year, it “immediately acted to restrict Mr Shrimpton’s professional capacity”.
According the statement:
“We required Mr Shrimpton to declare all of the charges against him to his clients, before representing them. Following his conviction under the Protection of Children Act in February 2014 we also prevented him from being involved in any cases concerning the welfare of a child, allegations of sexual abuse or impropriety concerning a child or where a child was liable to be a witness.”
The board went on to say that it “takes its duty to act in the public interest very seriously. We hope that today’s action to immediately suspend Mr Shrimpton in light of the judge’s comments yesterday is a clear signal of this”.
Shrimpton describes himself as a specialist in national security and constitutional law, as well as strategic intelligence and counterterrorism measures. He was called to the bar at Gray’s Inn in 1983 and practises from the Chambers of Michael Shrimpton in Buckinghamshire.
The BSB’s statement in full can be found here.
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