Barrister fined £7,000 for dialling into tribunal from a noisy German train instead of finding a quiet place

From the Newshound archive · first published 1 October 2026.

Michael Engelhardt-Sprack, an employment and housing law specialist at Garden Court Chambers, was hit with a £7,000 fine after he appeared via video link at an employment tribunal from a moving train in Germany, where he permanently lives. Judge Rachel Wedderspoon ruled the background noise of other passengers made it impossible to hear him clearly, and the poor internet connection forced the entire hearing to be abandoned for a day. Engelhardt-Sprack had assured the tribunal he could conduct proceedings — then boarded a second train rather than find somewhere quiet.

His client Shannon Burns had been sacked for falling asleep drunk in a sauna — but won her case after proving her male colleagues were also drunk that night.

Burns is now pursuing £76million in damages against her former employer, which is now owned by OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT.

The hearing was eventually concluded the following day when Engelhardt-Sprack appeared in person at the tribunal in Birmingham.