Beautiful Virgin Islands

Friday, Oct 17, 2025

Black barrister mistaken for defendant three times in one day

Black barrister mistaken for defendant three times in one day

The chief executive of HM Courts & Tribunals Service has begun an urgent investigation into how a black barrister was repeatedly mistaken for a defendant in court yesterday. Criminal and family law barrister Alexandra Wilson explained events on Twitter, saying she believed a light needed to be shone on the issue ‘especially given so many people like me seem to experience the same thing’.
Alexandra Wilson, 25, who works as a criminal and family barrister, said she was ‘almost in tears’ after they repeatedly failed to recognise her profession on Wednesday.

In a viral Twitter thread, she wrote she was ‘completely exhausted’ of ‘having to constantly justify my existence at work’. Kevin Sadler, the acting chief executive of Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service, has apologised and promised to launch an investigation.

It comes after a Ministry of Justice report found only 9% of senior barristers are from Black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.

Ms Wilson, from Essex, said a security guard asked to take her name so he could find it on the list of defendants when she arrived at court.

She said: ‘I explained I was a barrister. He apologised and guided me through security. At this point I tried to shrug it off as an innocent mistake.’

After meeting with her client, she attempted to enter the courtroom to discuss the case with the prosecutor – but was stopped by a member of the public who believed she was a journalist.

An usher who recognised her job title told her to go inside, but as she opened the door another solicitor or barrister advised her to wait outside for the court to call her in.

Writing on Twitter, Ms Wilson continued: ‘I explained I’m a barrister. She looked embarrassed and said “oh. I see”. ‘She turned back around and I walked towards the prosecutor, ready to have our conversation. ‘Before I got there the clerk, VERY loudly, told me to leave the courtroom and said the usher would be out shortly.

Before I could respond she then asked if I was represented. ‘I, AGAIN, explained that I am a defence barrister trying to speak to the prosecutor.

She looked at me, said “oh right, ok” and continued with what she was doing.’ Ms Wilson, who is the author of In Black And White: A Young Barrister’s Story of Race and Class in a Broken Justice System, has since lodged a formal complaint. She said: ‘This really isn’t ok though. I don’t expect to have to constantly justify my existence at work.’

Responding to her tweets, HMCTS acting chief executive, Kevin Sadler, said: ‘I’m very sorry about your experience at court yesterday – it is totally unacceptable behaviour.’

He said he would be investigating the role of his staff and contractors ‘as a matter of urgency’ adding: ‘This is not the behaviour anyone should expect and certainly does not reflect our values.’ Ms Wilson said she is ‘grateful’ for the apology and hopes it ‘leads to some real change’.

It comes as figures reveal people from BAME backgrounds are less likely to be successful when applying to become a judge. Only 9% of senior barristers are from ethnic minority backgrounds.

A Ministry of Justice report found last week that BAME people are ‘over-represented in applications for judicial appointment’ but are ‘less likely to be successful’.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
French Political Turmoil Elevates Marine Le Pen as Rassemblement National Poised for Power
China Unveils Sweeping Rare Earth Export Controls to Shield ‘National Security’
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
US Prosecutors Gained Legal Approval to Hack Telegram Servers
Macron Faces Intensifying Pressure to Resign or Trigger New Elections Amid France’s Political Turmoil
Standard Chartered Names Roberto Hoornweg as Sole Head of Corporate & Investment Banking
UK Asylum Housing Firm Faces Backlash Over £187 Million Profits and Poor Living Conditions
UK Police Crack Major Gang in Smuggling of up to 40,000 Stolen Phones to China
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Trump Proposes Farm Bailout from Tariff Revenues Amid Backlash from Other Industries
FIFA Accuses Malaysia of Forging Citizenship Documents, Suspends Seven Footballers
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
A Dollar Coin Featuring Trump’s Portrait Expected to Be Issued Next Year
Australia Orders X to Block Murder Videos, Citing Online Safety and Public Exposure
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
×