Female 'Basil Fawlty' disbarred after attacking guests at her seaside hotel
15 March 2023, 09:21 | Updated: 15 March 2023, 09:32
A former human rights lawyer dubbed the 'female Basil Fawlty' after she attacked several members of staff at her Devon hotel has been kicked out of the profession.
Shirley Bothroyd, 64, switched from law to the hotel business when she bought an 18-bedroom seaside hotel in Teignmouth, Devon, for more than £1 million 10 years ago.
Bothroyd admitted to attacking her chef Pauline Cave and using abusive language and throwing wine towards her receptionist, Hannah Glover.
She also threw a pint of Guinness towards a police officer and blamed her violent tirade on her drinks being spiked.
The former lawyer was jailed for 22 weeks and made to pay her victims £300 in compensation in October 2017.
Read More: German man stabs friend 11 times following 'row in a sauna about the length of their penises'
Her hotel was closed in July 2017 after a number of incidents at the hotel, including a collapsed ceiling.
One year later, Bothroyd was embroiled in another row involving her pet lizard.
She was seen wearing a nightdress shouting at her neighbour after a hotel employee broke into her home and removed her lizard, which had been left alone for several weeks.
She was subsequently sentenced to a hospital order in September 2018, the Telegraph reported.
Rachael Gourley, for the Bar Standards Board (BSB), said: "There has been a very considerable period where Ms Bothroyd hasn’t engaged with the BSB and these proceedings."
Bothroyd was accused of diminishing the trust and confidence placed in the legal profession by the public.
The ex-barrister was ordered to pay £2,128 to the BSB in costs.
