Nottingham Magistrates’ Court: Barrister fined
A barrister has been reprimanded following her conviction for throwing a bottle at another woman in a Nottingham cocktail bar.
A Bar disciplinary tribunal described the behaviour of Benedicte Mabika as “very foolish and potentially dangerous”, but said it was a “one-off incident” and there was “little or no” risk to the public.
Ms Mabika pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court in July last year.
During a night out in the city with her sister at the Wax Bar, at 2.45am on 23 December 2023, Ms Mabika was alleged to have thrown a bottle at the victim, “who was known to her from school”, hitting her above her left eye and “causing a cut which bled”.
Arrested at the scene, the barrister, then aged 25, told the police that the victim was threatening her sister.
She admitted throwing the bottle but said “her intention had been to throw only the contents of the bottle over the victim” but the bottle had slipped out of her hand. Ms Mabika admitted that her actions were reckless.
She was fined £858 and ordered to pay £100 compensation to the victim, along with a victim surcharge of £343 and £85 costs. Ms Mabika self-reported the conviction to the Bar Standards Board (BSB).
The tribunal said Ms Mabika was “still a young woman and at the time of incident had only very recently been called to the Bar following the successful completion of the Bar course”. She was currently a non-practising barrister.
Ms Mabika admitted behaving in a way likely to diminish public trust and confidence and/or which could reasonably be seen by the public to undermine her integrity.
The tribunal said her culpability was “low to moderate in that it included the use of violence towards another with a bottle albeit recklessly but in unusual circumstances”, causing physical harm.
The only aggravating factor was that the misconduct led to a criminal conviction.
There was “considerable mitigation” in that Ms Mabika pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and made a prompt admission of the charge at the tribunal.
She had expressed “complete remorse and regret for her actions” both to the court and tribunal, and the tribunal accepted that “this was an isolated incident and out of character”.
The tribunal said: “We are confident that there is little or no ongoing risk to the public. We are also very conscious that for someone in her position (as someone aspiring to go into practice as a barrister) this incident may have a long-term effect on her future career.
“Having considered the matter in the round, we do not think that a fine is necessary taking into account all the matters that we have heard.”
Issuing a formal reprimand, the tribunal added: “It was a very foolish and potentially dangerous thing to do. However, we are as confident as we can be that this is a one-off incident and very much out of character.”
Having considered her means, the tribunal ordered Ms Mabika to contribute £500 to the BSB’s costs.
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