A FORMER law student made to wear an electronic tag after he posed as a barrister has had it removed because of health fears.

In December last year Birkby man Adam Zoubir was given a suspended prison sentence after a court heard how he twice claimed to be a lawyer.

Smartly-dressed Zoubir, 32, was able to visit his “client” – a man arrested for driving document offences – while in custody at a police station before turning up to represent him at Halifax Magistrates’ Court the next day.

Zoubir, of Arnold Avenue, pleaded guilty to attempting to act as a barrister and as part of his suspended sentence he was put on an electronically monitored curfew for six months.

But Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC was told yesterday that Zoubir’s serious heart condition meant his own doctor had removed the ankle tag because of fears that it could cause blood clots.

Zoubir’s barrister Rukhshanda Hussain told Bradford Crown Court that her client’s condition was controlled by a pacemaker and there was also a concern about potential problems caused by the emission of electro-magnetic waves by the tag.

After reading letters from Zoubir’s doctor, Judge Durham Hall agreed to vary the curfew order by removing the requirement for it to be electronically monitored, but he will still have to be indoors between 9pm and 7am every night until June.

Zoubir is also under the supervision of the probation service and the judge noted that he was doing well on that order.

The judge told him: “I can see you are not in the best of health so I hope you can manage to complete the order without any problem.’’

Zoubir, who had only done six months of a five-year law and languages course, purported to represent the defendant, but suspicions were raised by court staff and inquiries were made with the Law Society and the Bar Counsel.

Zoubir initially claimed to be a solicitor, but then said he was a barrister who was a member of Inner Temple.

Inquiries revealed that there was a London-based barrister named Adam Zoubir and during police questioning the defendant accepted that he was not a member of the legal profession.