Barrister disbarred over rape of girls while serving as police officer

James Boyle, now serving 16 years, failed to report charges and conviction to the regulator

A former police officer turned barrister has been disbarred after being convicted of multiple sexual offences, including the rape of a child.

James Boyle, called to the Bar by Middle Temple in 1999, was convicted at Cambridge Crown Court in June 2023 of rape and indecent assault against underage girls, stemming from incidents between 1986 and 1988 while he was still a serving officer.

The Bar Tribunals & Adjudication Service heard that Boyle, now imprisoned for 16 years at HMP Littlehey, faced three misconduct charges, including:

• Acting in a way that undermined public confidence in the profession
  
• Failing to report his criminal charge and conviction to the Bar Standards Board (BSB)
  

Appearing by video link from prison, Boyle admitted the charges but maintained his innocence, telling the panel:

“I have and always will plead my innocence… but I acknowledge those were the findings of the court.”

The tribunal heard Boyle was served with a postal requisition in July 2019 but did not inform the BSB until March 2023, four years later. He failed again to report his conviction until October 2023, claiming police had already informed the regulator.

Philip Stott, for the BSB, said Boyle had no excuse for the delay, and his omissions were part of a wider pattern of failing to uphold professional integrity.

Boyle’s appeal against conviction was dismissed by the Court of Appeal.

In mitigation, James Sutherland, representing Boyle, said he had been refused legal aid for his criminal trial and was now in “dire straits”, financially relying only on a police pension.

Following a short retirement, the tribunal announced his disbarment.

His Honour Simon Davis, chair of the five-person panel, said:

“These are horrendous offences of some of the most serious kinds… There is only one realistic sanction.”

No separate penalties were issued for Boyle’s failures to report the charges or conviction, and no costs order was made. The BSB was also ordered not to issue any future practising certificate.

Boyle had no previous disciplinary history, but the panel found that the severity of his convictions and sentence left them no alternative but to expel him from the profession.