Met victim on Tinder
A barrister has been barred from working in the legal profession after being convicted of raping a woman he met on a dating app.
Robin Jacobs, who was employed by a law firm at the time and therefore falls under the authority of both the solicitors and barristers regulators, was sentenced to four years in prison in September 2022 following a trial at the Old Bailey
The court heard that Jacobs met the woman on Tinder in September 2017 and was engaging in consensual intercourse with her. He then withdrew and told her to “hold steady” before unexpectedly initiating anal sex, which continued for 20-30 seconds until the woman screamed for him to “get out”.
Jacobs claimed he believed the woman had consented, shouting “I didn’t do it” from the dock after his conviction.
His appeal against his conviction was rejected by the Court of Appeal in December 2023.
The SRA has issued a section 43 order against Jacobs, meaning no regulated law firm can employ him without its approval.
The regulator said the order was appropriate given “the serious nature of his criminal conviction, and the likely damage to public confidence in the delivery of legal services”.