Sexting barrister gave his female client £2,400 ‘to buy clothes’ during trial

A BARRISTER who was accused of sexting his client’s girlfriend is facing new allegations that he gave thousands of pounds to a female client to buy clothes, a tribunal has heard.

Roy Headlam, once one of the country’s highest-paid barristers in legal aid, was allowed to continue practising after he sent texts of a sexual nature to his defendant’s girlfriend in 2011. He was fined by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) but in December 2013 he claimed he was unable to pay the penalty imposed by them.

However, his bank account subsequently revealed he paid £2,400 to a female client just a few weeks later, a BSB disciplinary hearing has heard.

Mr Headlam is appearing before the BSB accused of misconduct and dishonesty.

It is alleged he gave the cash to a woman he was representing in 2014 during legal proceedings to help her “turn her life around” – to enable her to buy clothes and take a college course.

William Clegg QC, his barrister, told the BSB on Thursday it was “barking mad” that barristers could not help their clients when in need.

“It was not conduct prohibited in any way by the regulations,” he said.

Gerard Boyle QC, representing the BSB, said making a payment to a client was misconduct irrespective of the motives. “Roy Headlam paid a substantial sum of cash to a client during the course of an ongoing trial,” he said.

Mr Headlam denies six charges of misconduct and admits one count of failing to cooperate with the Bar Standards Board.

In 2011 it was revealed he had sent inappropriate texts to the girlfriend of his client Mark Pettigrew, who was later jailed for five years for attempted burglary and handling stolen goods. On discovering the texts, Pettigrew unsuccessfully appealed against his sentence at the Court of Appeal.

The messages were not made public, but Sir John Thomas, who presided over the proceedings, said they “could be read by the recipient or an objective observer as being of a sexual nature” or be “read by the recipient, out of context, as being sexual advances made to her”. Mr Headlam had denied Pettigrew’s claims, saying the messages were taken “out of context”.

Mr Clegg QC told the latest BSB hearing that the sexts case had destroyed him.

“He lost his career, his marriage and health, and had been made bankrupt,” he said.

The BSB has declined to reveal any details relating to the amount or circumstances surrounding the fine.

The tribunal continues.