The creepy emails of a DLA partner have been revealed to the world against his will. He attempted to defend himself by saying his use of the word "Klunt" referred to one of Ricky Gervais' Flanimals.

Nick West was caught out in 2014 when extracts of emails he sent to Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore were leaked to the press. West found himself hitting the headlines, issued a grovelling apology, and was reported to the SRA. And when he was originally called to a tribunal, West agreed to pay a fine of £10,000 to avoid the evidence being made public. But the chairman of the tribunal, Andrew Spooner, ordered that it be read out anyway, described West's comments as "despicable" and increased the fine to £15,000.

Now the SDT has published its ruling, revealing that West may actually be channeling Roy Chubby Brown. Here are the 'highlights'. Bear in mind that West is the Respondent and, for added fun, imagine being a woman working along the corridor from him.

1. "Anti-klimax"


2. "Dangle of your dong"


3. "Foetus shopping"


4. "Kluntish"


5. "Graphite shaft"


6. "Gash"


7. "Teach her to talk"

The emails set out clearly the danger for 40-something law firm partners of failing to move on from the casual sexism of a socially inadequate 12-year-old. Or, even more depressing, indulging a client's misogyny to maintain a profitable relationship.

Uh oh, it's the Banternator

Not surprisingly, West was keen that the emails should never see the light of day. In arguments so weak they had to stop for a rest every five yards, West said the tribunal should not release the emails because, "the majority of the emails were sent by others", he thought they "would remain private" and the participants "were not in the least offended by them because they understood their proper meaning". And that proper meaning was, according to West's letter to the tribunal, that....





That contention resulted in one of the more extraordinary sentences ever to grace a Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal:




The tribunal did not buy West's Flanimal Defence. Nor, shockingly, his claim that the graphite shaft conversation referred only to golf clubs. It was particularly unimpressed that the email referring to "the dangle of your dong" was sent in the context of a recruitment exercise.

Summing up, the tribunal called Gashgate a "sad and salutary lesson" for West, and a warning to the profession to avoid hilarious misogyny "when using business email addresses" (so it's fine for personal emails, in talks, at conferences and in recruitment interviews).

A spokeswoman for DLA said, "The firm respects the outcome reached by the SDT and is pleased this matter has now concluded".

Please see below for the full ruling in full (below, in full) below:


Read more on Friday.