Bravery of rape survivor who shamed top lawyer

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A rape victim has spoken of her ‘brutal’ treatment by a defence lawyer found guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct during the trial of her attacker.

Ellie Wilson crowd-funded to prepare for a complaint against Lorenzo Alonzi after her rapist, Daniel McFarlane, was jailed for five years.

Mr Alonzi questioned whether she had narcissistic personality disorder and told jurors that it was ‘difficult not to imagine some sense of injustice’ for McFarlane, 25, who the lawyer claimed had fallen in love with the ‘wrong person’.

Victim Ellie Wilson said she was portrayed as the villain

The Faculty of Advocates’ complaints committee found that his behaviour amounted to unsatisfactory professional conduct on six of the 11 issues raised.

Last night Ms Wilson, 26, of Glasgow, told the Mail: ‘The whole process of complaining was definitely challenging, time-consuming, and even re-traumatising.

‘With some of the comments he made to the jury after conviction, it felt as if he was trying to punish me and put me in my place for having won the trial.

‘When he asked whether I had narcissistic personality disorder, there was no basis for that – he was trying to portray me as the villain.’

Ms Wilson, who has waived her anonymity, said she hoped the finding would show that advocates ‘can’t act with impunity’.

Sandy Brindley, of Rape Crisis Scotland, said Mr Alonzi’s behaviour ‘really does feel like the Dark Ages’.

McFarlane, Ms Wilson’s ex-boyfriend, was convicted of two rapes between December 2017 and February 2018 when he was a medical student at the University of Glasgow after a trial at the High Court in 2022.

Ms Wilson crowd-funded the £3,000 needed to access the transcripts of the court proceedings before launching an official complaint about the defence advocate.

She complained that Mr Alonzi failed to comply with rules designed to protect women in rape trials from inappropriate questioning about their sexual history and character.

The Faculty’s complaints committee found the lawyer ‘repeatedly crossed that line even after several fairly lengthy exchanges with the trial judge’.

Lorenzo Alonzi ‘repeatedly crossed line’

One of the judge’s interventions came after Mr Alonzi asked Ms Wilson if she had heard of narcissistic personality disorder and whether she had it.

Ms Wilson, who attempted suicide after the rapes, replied that she did not.

The complaints committee found that asking questions without having seen a report or diagnosis by a qualified medical professional was ‘discourteous to the court and abused the privileged position’ held by Mr Alonzi.

It also found that, during closing speeches, Mr Alonzi deliberately referred to

matters that had been ruled inadmissible, despite knowing the trial judge would likely be forced to direct the jury to disregard them.

Ms Wilson said Mr Alonzi’s comments in court were misogynistic.

She added: ‘I think they were designed to break me down. We talk about why victims don’t come forward... because they know they are going to face such a brutal court experience.’

The Scottish Government said it recognised the current legislation around the regulation of legal services and complaints was ‘complex and dated’.

The Faculty of Advocates’ complaints committee has still to decide the penalty it will impose on Mr Alonzi. It could range from a written warning to a compensation order to be paid to the complainer not exceeding £3,000.

A Faculty of Advocates spokesman said: ‘The process remains ongoing. Therefore it would not be appropriate to comment.’

Edinburgh-born Mr Alonzi was contacted for comment.