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Adv Gauntlett SC retires in the wake of sexual abuse allegations


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In the wake of sexual abuse allegations, well-known advocate Jeremy Gauntlett SC has retired from the bar.

In his retirement letter, seen by SABC News, Gauntlett says the storm surrounding him is intolerable for him and his family.

He also states that for some time, he has been planning to retire from practice after what he terms “a long and fulfilling legal career”.

It is, however, unclear if he is resigning as a member of the JSA and the Cape Bar.

Earlier today, SABC News reported that The General Council of the Bar of South Africa had referred allegations of historical sexual abuse levelled against Gauntlett SC to the Cape Bar and the Johannesburg Society of Advocates.

The General Council of the Bar (GCB) of South Africa has referred allegations of historical sexual abuse levelled against advocate Jeremy Gauntlett, to the Cape Bar and the Johannesburg Society of Advocates.

In a statement, the GCB says the allegations are serious and of concern to the South African public, the legal profession and the council.

The allegations were made by an academic, in an open letter to the Anglican Church.

Gauntlett has since stepped down from a three-person panel set up by Anglican Archbishop, Thabo Makgoba, to review how the church handles reports of abuse. This follows the release of a report in Britain revealing that a former UK lawyer had perpetrated abuses in Britain and Zimbabwe in the 1980’s and 90’s.

He had allegedly attended an Anglican Church in Cape Town in the early 2000’s and again months before he died in 2018.