LONDON: An Indian-origin barrister in the UK who was convicted of harassing his ex-girlfriend last year has been disbarred from practising law.
Sanjay Roy, 32, was convicted at Northampton Crown Court in July last year and given an 18-month suspended sentence after pleading guilty to putting his former girlfriend in fear of violence by harassment.
The Bar Standards Board, which had suspended the lawyer soon after, yesterday decided to ban him from practising as a family law barrister, according to The Times.
"This behaviour is likely to diminish the confidence the public has in Mr Roy and the barrister profession in general," a spokesperson for the board said.
The court had been told last year that Roy beat his former girlfriend, Bibi Taylor-Wilcott, with a belt buckle and poured iced water.
He was also said to be highly controlling and wanted her to have an abortion.
She told the court that she was made to refer to him "as master, as I was nothing but a dog or a slave" and had to "prove to be selfless and treat him as my everything to earn privileges".
His defence team told the court last year that he was "genuinely remorseful" and his behaviour was "out of character".