An unregistered barrister has been disbarred after he was found to have provided misleading evidence and correspondence during High Court proceedings – more than four years after he was struck off the roll of solicitors for the same misconduct.
Peter Matthew James Gray, called to the bar in October 1999, was struck off the roll in 2021 after he was found to have ‘deliberately deployed a misleading strategy’ when acting in High Court litigation.
A disciplinary hearing before a five-person panel at The Bar Tribunals & Adjudication Service found Gray, an unregistered barrister, engaged in conduct which was dishonest, prejudicial to the administration of justice and likely to diminish public confidence in the legal profession.
The tribunal also ordered Gray should not be issued with a practising certificate pending any appeal and to pay £24,654 costs.
The hearing, which concluded this month, centred on Gray’s conduct during proceedings in September 2013 and November 2014. As Gray was practising as a solicitor the Bar Standards Board said it was ‘appropriate to allow the [Solicitors Regulation Authority’s] proceedings to conclude, including the appeal process, before taking action’.
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Gray was struck off following a hearing before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal in March 2021. His appeal against the SDT’s findings and sanction was dismissed in March 2022.
A BSB spokesperson said: ‘The public rightly expect barristers to act with honesty, whether practising or acting in another legal role. Misleading the court and others in legal proceedings is a serious failure to meet these expectations, and the tribunals decision to disbar Mr Gray reflects this.’
