Editor Condemns Brand Barrister’s Outburst as Sentencing Looms Monday

The editor of the newspaper that employs journalist Rosamund Urwin has publicly condemned Ian Winter KC, saying the barrister should be called to account for confronting her outside court after Russell Brand's conviction. Winter has referred himself to the Bar Standards Board, and Brand, who is in custody, is due to be sentenced on Monday.

Ben Taylor, the editor, spoke on Times Radio, according to the Irish Examiner. His comments add a sharper public dispute to a story that began with Winter's self-report to the regulator.

What the editor says

Taylor said he found Winter's behavior extraordinary and had never seen or heard of a barrister acting that way. He described Urwin as his newspaper's chief news correspondent and defended her.

His central argument was that Urwin did not convict Brand. A jury of eight men and four women did, he said, after hearing the evidence and the defense. By questioning her integrity, Taylor argued, Winter was also questioning the integrity of the jury, the judge and the wider case. He said his newspaper supports the jury system and has campaigned to protect it. He called the barrister's conduct "reprehensible."

What Winter has said and argued

According to Legal Cheek and the Irish Examiner, Winter approached Urwin outside Southwark Crown Court on Thursday afternoon, in front of several journalists. He told her he hoped she was pleased with herself. When she replied that she was pleased justice had been done, he said it had not been, used an expletive to blame her, and added a sarcastic "Congratulations."

In a statement on Friday, Winter said that after seeing how the matter was characterized in the press, he considered it his professional duty to report the allegations to the Bar Standards Board so they could be properly scrutinized. He said he had made the report. He has not publicly disputed the reported exchange in the statements quoted by the outlets.

The clash echoes arguments Winter made during the case. The Irish Examiner reported that he had argued media reporting, including by Urwin and others, had "poisoned the well" and made a fair trial impossible. In a pre-trial argument, Brand, through Winter, also described the journalists who first exposed him as criminals and suggested they might have committed the offense of perverting the course of justice.

The trial judge, Mr Justice Bennathan, rejected the attempt to halt the trial. He ruled that Brand could be tried by people who had not seen the earlier coverage. Brand had denied all charges and argued through his lawyer that he was wrongly accused and the victim of a media conspiracy.

The verdicts behind the confrontation

After a four-week trial, the jury convicted Brand, 51, of raping a 21-year-old fan in 2009 and of sexually assaulting three women in separate incidents between 2004 and 2009. He was cleared of two further rape charges and one count of attempted indecent assault. Urwin helped expose the allegations against him in a 2023 investigation.

Why it matters beyond one courthouse exchange

The Bar Standards Board is the independent regulator for barristers in England and Wales, according to Wansom AI. Its review will now test how far a barrister's conduct toward the press after a verdict falls within professional standards. Winter's decision to self-report means the regulator will formally examine the incident, though none of the sources say what the board will do or how long it could take.

The episode also sets two views of the trial against each other. Winter's side argued before and during the case that press coverage compromised fairness. The judge rejected that argument, and the jury returned split verdicts, convicting on some counts and acquitting on others. Taylor's comments frame the confrontation as an attack on that process, while Winter has so far said only that the matter should be scrutinized.

What happens next

Brand is due to be sentenced on Monday. The Bar Standards Board has not said publicly how it will handle Winter's report, according to the outlets reviewed.

Earlier on Around Prague: Russell Brand's Barrister Reports Himself to Regulator Over Journalist Clash

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Around Prague, based on reporting by Wansom AI, Legal Cheek, Irish Examiner