Climbie lawyer 'broke code by giving opinion'

A leading black barrister who was involved in the Victoria Climbié ©nquiry has been found guilty of breaching the Bar Council's code of conduct by expressing his own opinions to the media.

Peter Herbert condemned the regulatory body for barristers as "deliberately and maliciously racist" after the hearing in London.

A complaint was made against Mr Herbert following interviews he gave after the fallout from the inquiry into the death of the eight-year-old.

He was found guilty of expressing his opinion when his client, social worker Carol Baptiste, was convicted of contempt of court for failing to give evidence into the public inquiry looking into Victoria's death.

Ms Baptiste was fined £500 and in a radio interview Mr Herbert described the verdict as "institutional racism".

Lord Laming - who conducted the Climbié ©nquiry - made a formal complaint to the Bar Council, claiming the v i ews Mr Herber t expressed were his own and broke the barristers' code of conduct. Mr Herbert-rejected this claim, insisting he had been speaking on behalf of Ms Baptiste and any reference to what he thought was a " slip of the tongue".

But the panel of three rejected his defence and he now faces a maximum penalty of three months suspension from the Bar.

Mr Herbert has been a barrister since 1982 and is a member of the Metropolitan Pol ice Authority, is a recorder judge and sits on the Home Secretary's advisory panel on race.

He said yesterday's decision was another example of "the good old days of racism back in the Eighties".

He added: "I am deeply saddened and disappointed - it is a very sad day for the Bar Council really when a person with my background of integrity and public service has to be vilified in this way.

"Clearly there was a bit of a kangaroo court which went through the motions of listening to the evidence and rejecting all of it. This is not only institutional racism - this is deliberate and malicious racism because the Bar Council knows what it is doing."

In an earlier statement the Council said it " absolutely refuted" any accusations of conducting its regulatory affairs in a racist manner.

Mr Herbert, who is already taking the council to the employment tribunal for alleged victimisation and race discrimination, said he would appeal.