The punishment handed out to a leading Scottish lawyer has caused outrage after he was given a “slap on the wrist” for sending disgusting messages “akin to blackmail” about the head of Rape Crisis Scotland.
Brian McConnachie KC shared that he would have sex with Sandy Brindley "just to have something over her”.
Despite a damning judgement on the way he behaved, legal watchdogs dished out a punishment of only an £8,000 fine and a written censure for McConnachie.
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Rape Crisis Scotland have disagreed with the punishment and branded it a “complete disgrace” given McConnachie was found guilty of professional misconduct and could have been kicked out of the prestigious Faculty of Advocates, the Daily Record reports.
They added that an offer for the lawyer to personally apologise to its chief executive Ms Brindley was not good enough.
A Rape Crisis Scotland spokesperson said the fine was paltry to a man like McConnachie who earns upwards of £400,000 in legal aid alone.
The spokesperson said: “An £8,000 fine for a lawyer of Mr McConnachie’s means is not an appropriate sanction for his behaviour, it’s a slap on the wrist.
“It in no way reflects the seriousness of his behaviour. There is no place for misogyny at any level of the criminal justice system and where this behaviour does happen, it must be taken incredibly seriously and met with robust consequences. A personal apology to our Chief Executive simply doesn’t cut it.”
The disciplinary committee found he was guilty of "serious and reprehensible" behaviour in a series of salacious texts, including sending a sexually explicit picture of himself from the toilets of a high court minutes after defending a rape accused.
He could have been banned from the Faculty of Advocates and suspended from practicing as a lawyer for up to five years.
McConnachie, a former high court prosecutor, is one of Scotland's highest Legal Aid earners and has acted in some of the country's most high-profile cases.
In October 27, 2020, McConnachie sent a message to a woman claiming another KC, referred to as Mr A, had told him he wanted to have sex with Ms Brindley.
McConnachie wrote Mr A had "once said to me he'd s**g Sandy Brindley".
Secondly, he wrote: "I might s**g her, just to have something over her, but I wouldn't enjoy it."
Previously, a Faculty of Advocates complaints committee said a written reprimand was enough punishment and that McConnachie had experienced "considerable embarrassment".
But after a female whistleblower condemned the decision as a "slap on the wrist", she lodged an appeal which was upheld by the disciplinary committee.
It said the messages had been "extremely demeaning" of Ms Brindley, whose role meant she worked closely with the legal profession.
The disciplinary committee said: "The message further suggests that the respondent would be prepared to have a sexual relationship with a woman then use that fact to exert pressure on her in future.
"That, in itself is, in our opinion, clearly not the manner in which a reputable member of the faculty should behave.
"Furthermore, we regard such conduct - involving the suggestion of a willingness to engage in something akin to blackmail - as plainly "serious and reprehensible" .
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