A judge and barrister were involved in an extraordinary row in a sentencing hearing in which the former was accused of ‘bullying’. Judge Francis Laird KC and defending counsel Geraldine Toal clashed at Birmingham Crown Court over her client Jarvis Brennan, who was up on assault offences.
As their tense argument came to a crescendo the barrister requested the case be adjourned and transferred to another judge as she warned she was going to make a formal complaint. But ultimately they set aside their differences to conclude the hearing.
Brennan, aged 43, from Yardley had been involved in a row with staff at a Heron Foods over the cost of a packet of crisps. At first, Judge Laird questioned Ms Toal’s initial request for an adjournment for a pre-sentence report to be updated as he cast doubt over whether it would change the outcome.
He then criticised the relevance of the barrister trying to explain a separate incident in which Brennan was alleged to have assaulted a court security officer during a previous appearance, which is due to be resolved at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court at a later date.
Judge Laird also became visibly irritated at Brennan trying to speak from the dock and repeatedly ignoring orders to be quiet. It emerged he had significant hearing problems and a number of other difficulties.
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