Questions have to be asked about how a barrister who had been convicted of theft was, despite this, able to represent a client in Court.

Even though he had admitted stealing £81,500 and was on bail awaiting sentence, David Freisner appeared for a defendant at Bradford Crown Court last week.

Freisner, who appeared before Leeds Crown Court in the dock last month, is likely to be jailed for his theft offence.

It is completely unbelievable that he was able to continue working as a barrister after admitting such a serious crime.

There is probably an argument that he should have been suspended as soon as he was charged with such a serious offence, but the Bar Standards Board did not act even after his conviction, and it was only confirmed that he had been suspended yesterday.

The integrity of our courts and those who serve in them is a fundamental plank of our justice system. It is very worrying to learn that a barrister in a relatively high profile case – it involved a man who admitted fraudulently charging for council tax reductions – can be a convicted thief.

The Bar Standards Board says it has policies in place to allow it to urgently suspend barristers convicted of an indictable offence. So why was Freisner in court representing a client (and presumably being handsomely paid for the privilege) two weeks after his own conviction?

Surely the Bar Standards Board should now look at its policies and consider whether lawyers should be suspended at the point they are charged with offences of this nature.

At the very least, they need to act to ensure a convicted criminal is not able to don wig and gown and take part in court proceedings again.