A barrister who made a misleading witness statement during arbitration proceedings has been fined £3,000 by the bar disciplinary tribunal.

Andrew Rainsberry, who was called to the bar by Gray’s Inn in 2001, was found to have recklessly misled an arbitrator in 2016. According to a judgment published by the Bar Tribunals & Adjudication Service, Rainsberry made a witness statement which alleged the company in question had complied with aspects of an earlier arbitration agreement, when he knew this was not the case.

In doing so, the tribunal found that Rainsberry had acted in a way which was likely to diminish the trust and confidence which the public places in a barrister or in the profession. The barrister was fined £3,000 and ordered to pay £7,542 in costs. The finding is open to appeal.

A review into disciplinary sanctions at the bar is due to be announced this month, after the profession raised concerns over apparent inconsistencies in the penalty guidance. The six-week public consultation will consider a range of breaches and complete revised guidance is expected to come into force in November.