Entertainer jailed for impersonating barrister

A 57 year old man from Penarth has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for impersonating a qualified barrister at crown court after he dressed in a wig and robe to represent a friend he met in prison.

David Evans, strolled into Plymouth Crown Court dressed in court attire, gained access to the advocates' dressing room and visited his "client" in the cells. The judge in the case became suspicious because of discrepancies in Evans' clothing and a series of "hopelessly wrong" legal submissions.

A jury at Bristol Crown Court also heard how Evans who works as an entertainer had a previous conviction for a similar offence. Evans was found unanimously guilty of carrying out a reserved legal activity when not entitled and wilfully pretending to be a person with a right of audience.