A barrister-recorder has been removed from judicial office following a complaint that he consumed alcohol on court premises during the day.

The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) said it investigated the conduct of recorder Francis Evans QC following two complaints.

According to a statement, the first complaint was that Evans had consumed alcohol during the day on court premises, ‘which created significant problems for the court staff assisting him’.

The second complaint related to repeated defaults of payment in relation to child maintenance orders and Evans’ failure to inform his leadership judge of the resultant court proceedings, including that he had twice been subject to a suspended committal order for non-payment of child maintenance.

The statement adds: ‘The lord chancellor and the lord chief justice considered that in both matters Recorder Evans’ actions demonstrated a lack of awareness and fell below the standard expected of a judicial office-holder and have removed Recorder Evans from judicial office.’

Evans has been a recorder since 1994 and took silk in the same year. He has defended and prosecuted in cases including murder, paedophilia, rape, espionage, drugs and terrorism, from the Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court.