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A high-profile lawyer drunkenly broke down the door of a former colleague and allegedly continued to harass her during their on-again, off-again affair.
The pair’s affair was consensual but the woman ended it multiple times throughout the years it went on.
Murray Tingey was a partner at a prestigious law firm when he formed an intimate relationship with a lawyer of a similar age in 2006.
Today at a hearing of the Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal the woman, who has name suppression, told the tribunal how Tingey harassed her during their on-again, off-again five-year relationship.
After one break-up in 2009 Tingey turned up drunk at the woman’s apartment, forced his way through the front door, forced the woman’s phone out of her hand, and blocked the hallway.
She then ran upstairs to the bedroom where Tingey grabbed her wrist and pulled her down on the bed beside him and restrained her while seated on the bed.
Tingey’s lawyer told the court that his client accepted the woman’s version of events because he could not remember clearly what happened.
During another incident in 2009 Tingey allegedly questioned the woman while they were at work about her plans for the weekend until she said she had plans to go on a date with another man.
The Standards Committee claims Tingey became angry and insulting towards the woman and physically blocked her office door to stop her leaving.
The woman left the firm’s offices and went to her car with Tingey following. Tingey then got into the passenger seat and refused to leave and insisted the lawyer resume her relationship with him.
She described Tingey as “lurking” outside her cabin during a work trip after banging on the door to try to get in and then texting and calling her.
“It was frightening.”
She told the tribunal in evidence that it was a rural location and Tingey was acting aggressively and was quite intoxicated.
“I did not want to see a drunk, aggressive person late at night,” she said.
In another incident in April 2011 after the woman permanently ended their relationship, Tingey turned up at her house where he became angry and aggressive after he wasn’t allowed inside.
The Standards Committee claims he shouted at the woman’s new partner when the man appeared from inside, and made threats to contact the woman’s ex-husband to disclose personal details about her.
The woman told the tribunal during the course of their relationship maintaining a balance between their personal and professional relationships was especially difficult.
“But I was also aware I’d have to see him at work. [I] was trying to manage things where I could keep my role and keep the relationship in some kind of acceptable balance in terms of my career.”
The woman told the tribunal how the relationship was just an affair to her and that she was wary of engaging in a committed partnership with him.
“It was never a settled relationship. It was an affair that I was a bit caught up in,” she said.
“Later on I was very clear that I wanted it to be over. I tried to end the relationship on many occasions, many many times.”
After the woman ended it she began dating another man who also gave evidence before the tribunal.
He recalled the evening in 2011 when Tingey turned up at the woman’s house and said it was “quite extraordinary”.
“The behaviour that I witnessed in any circumstance was not acceptable. I’d never seen anything like this.”
Tingey’s lawyer, Grant Illingworth, questioned the man’s recollection given the amount of time since the event. He also said the man was simply going to bat for the woman, who was still his partner.
The man said he was just telling the tribunal what he recalled from that evening.
Tingey faces a charge of misconduct where the Standards Committee alleges his conduct was disgraceful or dishonourable which is accepted by Tingey.
He faces another charge of misconduct which he denies.