Judge gives lawyer public dressing down after he wore colourful ribbons and set of ceremonial St John Ambulance medals to court

A legal advocate was left red-faced in court after he was reprimanded by a Welsh judge for “dressing up like something out of Harry Potter”.

Lawyer Alan Blacker, who was representing a minibus driver accused of death by dangerous driving, was rebuked by Judge David Wynn Morgan in Cardiff crown court this week. According to WalesOnline, he was wearing a number of colourful ribbons and badges as well as a set of ceremonial St John Ambulance medals on his gown.



When asked, Blacker told the judge he had earned the medals for voluntary medical service with St John Ambulance. But Morgan was unimpressed.

He said: “I have been practicing in these courts since 1978 and I have never seen a barrister or solicitor appear before these courts wearing a medal or with badges sewn on to his gown.

“If you ever appear before this court dressed as you are at the moment, I shall exercise my right to decline to hear you.”

He added: “I did not raise any of these matters before this court during the trial because I am mindful of the fact that a young man has died and I did not want to interfere with the dignity of the proceedings.

“But if you ever appear looking like something out of Harry Potter, you can forget coming before this court ever again.”

Alan Blacker. Photograph: JAFLAS

Blacker, according to his LinkedIn profile, goes by the full title of Dr The Right Honourable The Lord Harley of Counsel of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem. In comments reported by the Telegraph, he said he was “personally very upset by the comments made towards me”.

Blacker’s client Andrzej Wojcicki was found guilty of death by dangerous driving and jailed for five years.