‘Like to f--k you right now’: Partner suspended after harassing multiple female colleagues

On 23 December 2022, Timothy Eagle and other staff members from Hansells Solicitors attended a Christmas lunch, with celebrations later continuing at the firm’s Norwich office.

As the celebrations carried on at the office, Eagle, who was described as being heavily intoxicated, began making a series of unwanted sexual remarks and gestures towards four of his female colleagues throughout the evening.

The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal heard that the solicitor told a younger female colleague she was “just so sexy” before quietly adding, “If I was 20 years younger, I would like to f--k you right now,” as he placed his hand on her waist.

With another female colleague wearing a dress that exposed her shoulders, Eagle kissed her bare shoulder despite her repeated pleas, and when she challenged him again, he snapped, telling her, “You’re just a f--king bitch and can fuck off”.

The tribunal also heard that he told a third colleague her dress was “easy access”, while making a lewd gesture with two fingers toward the top of her thighs.

After witnessing his state of intoxication, another colleague at the firm was forced to call Eagle’s partner to come and collect him from the office.

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On 13 January 2023, Eagle self-reported to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), and later that month, the firm’s partners launched an internal investigation into his conduct.

Based on their initial findings, he was suspended, and internal disciplinary proceedings were initiated, but he resigned before the process could be completed.

During a hearing with the tribunal, Eagle admitted all four allegations and accepted that his conduct breached principles requiring solicitors to uphold public trust, promote equality and treat colleagues with respect.

However, he denied that his conduct demonstrated a lack of integrity and refused to accept that the comments he made to his female colleagues during the Christmas party were sexually motivated.

Eagle submitted to the tribunal that he had been “unaware of his behaviour” and that his actions were neither deliberate nor intentional, insisting that his comments stemmed from a “rude and jokey” rapport with three of the female colleagues involved.

He also claimed that his serious health problems – including liver disease and major surgery in 2021, which had sidelined him from work for 11 months – might have altered the way alcohol affected him, producing unusual effects.

While the tribunal acknowledged that Eagle showed “insight into the harm that he had caused” and was “remorseful and apologised for his misconduct at the earliest opportunity”, it rejected all of his arguments.

The tribunal found that his conduct was “deliberate but not calculated” and that he had “failed to take full responsibility” for what occurred that night.

While admitting to the tribunal that he had no intention of practising as a solicitor again, Eagle acknowledged that the decision would still have a significant impact, affecting his ability to continue working as a notary and his financial stability.

In reaching its decision, the tribunal found that Eagle’s misconduct had “damaged the reputation” of the profession and determined that a “substantial sanction was necessary” to preserve public confidence.

In light of the gravity of the allegations, the tribunal handed Eagle a one-year suspension from practice, effective immediately, and ordered him to pay £30,000 in costs (just under $57,000).