‘Basil Fawlty’ barrister disbarred over hotel slap
A BARRISTER dubbed ‘the female Basil Fawlty’ has been disbarred after attacking staff at a hotel she owned.
Shirley Bothroyd, 64, kicked and slapped employees at the guesthouse, which she bought for £1.5million in 2013. She was sentenced to 22 weeks in prison and ordered to pay £300 in compensation in 2017.
Now Bothroyd cannot practise law after she refused to cooperate with the Bar Standards
Board, which regulates barristers. She was likened to John Cleese’s irate character on review websites because of her behaviour towards guests at the Bay hotel in Teignmouth, Devon.
A tribunal found Bothroyd – who claimed she worked with Cherie Blair – had behaved in a way likely to diminish public trust and confidence in a barrister and had failed to report her conviction to the BSB. She was ordered to pay £2,128 to the board in costs. In 2017, she pulled her chef to the floor by her hair and repeatedly slapped her. She also threw wine and a glass at a receptionist.
The hotelier later threw a pint of Guinness over a police officer. Bothroyd blamed her actions on her drinks being spiked. She admitted assaulting the chef and using abusive behaviour towards a receptionist.