A barrister has been fined £1,800 by the Bar Tribunals and Adjudication Service for telling a woman he wanted to dance "crotch to crotch".

Stephen Howd, who was also UKIP's candidate for Scunthorpe in last year's general election (he lost), made the generous offer while attending his summer party at Zenith Chambers.

The disciplinary tribunal heard that Howd stumbled after three women at the party, named A, B and C at the hearing. He pulled candidate A towards him and attempted to kiss her, holding her hand “on or near his crotch area for about 5 seconds until she was able to release her hand from his grip”. He also interrupted her as she talked to other people and “placed his face uncomfortably close to hers”.

How they saw Howd

How Howd saw Howd

Shortly afterwards the well-refreshed barrister grabbed B by the waist and "pulled her towards him, placing his hands on the small of her back and placing his cheek next to hers". He told her they should dance "cheek to cheek", but then reconsidered and said, "no, crotch to crotch”. Later, after she declined to rub genitals with him while a junior clerk played Mungo Jerry in the background, Howd told her to her face she was a "good girl" while poking her in the breasts and kissing her face.

To round off a perfect evening, he made a third woman, C, dance for him while he pronounced her “gorgeous” and attempted to kiss her.

Subtly implying that he wasn't the only one staggering around shouting, "Gizzakiss woz YER PROBLEM? Izza SLEBRATION isnit? I know Nigel Frarge", Howd said in a statement, "I, and a number of others, had rather too much to drink". He added, “I do not accept that I said or did all of the things attributed to me", and said that "it is now time to move on". To D, presumably, who is already looking desperately for the exit.