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Look.

Mr Farrimond was a very experienced criminal lawyer. He had a good defence team.

There is no doubt about physical acts that he did, nor that he was aware of doing them - and had planned them. Neither is it in issue that he meant to do them.

His mitigation turned on his extreme unhappiness - to compress the description. That does not get him off the hook. If he had been insane he would have been sent to Broadmoor if it’s still open. Maybe for ever.

His mitigation cut a tariff sentence of 15 years to 9, which was in turn reduced to 6 as he pleaded guilty. He will serve half.

The sentence, like it or not, was very merciful. I doubt that he is complaining.

The professional issue is now resolved. I don’t quarrel with it. I’d hoped for something else.

I do worry about Leveson LJ seeming to add risk to the public to its perception of our profession. There is, I believe, an obligation to report wrong doing within the profession. Recently this gave rise to the possibility of victims of sexual harassment being in breach of it if they did not report it. I gather that they have been reassured on the point.

Nonetheless, I still ask what the effect may be.