South Africans react after Chidimma Adetshina's lawyer previously caught using AI

• Advocate Giles Barclay-Beuthin, who appeared for Chidimma Adetshina in Cape Town, was previously caught citing non-existent cases generated by an AI tool called Legal Genius
• An acting judge in the Johannesburg High Court ordered that Barclay-Beuthin's conduct be referred to the Legal Practice Council for investigation
• The case resurfaced on social media after Barclay-Beuthin appeared for Adetshina, drawing sharp reactions from South Africans online

SOUTH AFRICA — Advocate Giles Barclay-Beuthin, who appeared in the Cape Town Regional Court on Monday, 21 July 2026, to argue that former Miss Universe SA contestant Chidimma Adetshina is not a foreigner and should not be detained, is the same lawyer who recently faced a referral to the Legal Practice Council over AI-generated fake case citations.

A social media post highlighting the connection attracted 22,000 views on X by Sunday evening, reigniting public debate about the lawyer's conduct. In a separate Johannesburg High Court matter involving Northbound Processing, acting judge DJ Smit discovered that two case citations included in the company's legal heads of argument did not exist.

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Chidimma Adetshina's arrest called an ambush as Cape Town court reserves deportation ruling

The fictitious references, which were offered in support of key legal points, were traced back to an AI tool called "Legal Genius" that Barclay-Beuthin acknowledged using under time pressure.

The AI case that preceded Adetshina's hearing

According to IT Web, Barclay-Beuthin told the court he had resorted to the tool due to the urgency of the case, a compressed timeline for finalising the heads, and the earlier withdrawal of another junior counsel. He argued the situation differed from a similar KwaZulu-Natal High Court case, the Mavundla judgment, partly because no one suffered prejudice as a result.

Senior counsel Arnold Subel SC accepted full responsibility, apologised to the court, and said he had conducted only a general review of the heads before submission, trusting his legal team to have verified the content. Judge Smit accepted the apologies and found no deliberate intent to mislead, but referred the conduct of the legal practitioners to the Legal Practice Council for investigation nonetheless. He warned that even unintentional errors of this kind carry serious consequences for public trust in the justice system.

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SA reacts to the Adetshina connection

The link between Barclay-Beuthin's earlier AI controversy and his appearance for Adetshina did not go unnoticed on social media.

View the post here:

@Simon_Sithole20 said:

"There is no way in which Chidimma will win this case...Absolutely no way... Only if we follow the laws of the republic."

@SithabisoStar wrote:

"Good for us, if you have enemies then be glad it's imbeciles. Nothing worse than a competent enemy lol."

@_Mr_T33 questioned:

"Why is he still practising?"

@Pastryprin66924 added:

"Well… this is embarrassing"

Adetshina's case, which centres on her nationality and right to remain in South Africa, continues before the Cape Town Regional Court.

Chidimma Adetshina's arrest an ambush: lawyer

In a related article, Briefly News reported on Adetshina's arrest, which has been characterised by her legal team as a deliberate ambush amid her ongoing deportation proceedings. The case draws significant public interest due to Adetshina’s status as a former Miss Universe contestant and the implications of her potential deportation on her life and career in South Africa.

Source: Briefly News