Russell Brand's barrister reports himself to watchdog after post-verdict clash

The verdict and the night in custody

Russell Brand was found guilty by jurors of raping a fan and sexually assaulting three women, according to The Independent. He spent the night behind bars on Thursday, 5 November, after the verdict. The incident that followed took place outside the courtroom, where Brand's barrister, Ian Winter KC, became involved in a confrontation with a journalist.

The exchange with a Sunday Times journalist

The Independent reports that Winter launched into a tirade against Rosamund Urwin, chief news correspondent of The Sunday Times. Her paper had worked on a joint 2023 investigation with Channel 4 Dispatches and The Times, which accused the comedian of sexual misconduct. Winter told her:

“I hope you are pleased with yourself”

When she replied that she was pleased justice had been done, he retorted that it had not, and then told her 'Congratulations'. The Telegraph reports that Winter allegedly used an expletive during the exchange, saying the reporter had ruined the outcome.

Defence argument during the trial

During the trial, Winter had argued that reporting by The Sunday Times, The Times and Dispatches had 'poisoned the well of justice' against his client. He made an unsuccessful bid to have the trial thrown out on that basis. The exchange outside court came after the verdict, so the barrister's remarks were made after that argument had already failed.

Self-report to the Bar Standards Board

In a statement issued on Friday, 6 November, Winter said that, having seen how matters had been characterised in the press that day, he considered his professional duty required him to self-report the allegations. He added that he had made such a report, so that the matter could be properly scrutinised. The Telegraph separately reported that Winter has been reported to the barristers' watchdog over claims that he accosted a female journalist after the guilty verdict.

Watchdog scrutiny and dates

The Bar Standards Board had previously declined to comment on whether it had received complaints against Winter. Both The Independent and The Telegraph published their reports on 6 November, the day of the barrister's statement. The sequence of dated events runs from the night in custody to the self-report.