The Bar Standards Board (BSB) brought Dr Charlotte Proudman before its disciplinary tribunal after she posted a series of tweets about the judgment delivered by Sir Jonathan Cohen in a family law case which she lost.

She took particular issue with the now-retired judge’s description of a relationship as “tempestuous” and of alleged domestic violence as “reckless”, saying the judgment was “a misogynistic tale as old as time”.

Sir Jonathan was and is a member of the Garrick Club, an exclusive London club founded in 1831 which at that point restricted membership to men.

The BSB brought five charges of professional misconduct against Dr Proudman, accusing her of having “failed to act with integrity”.

Three charges alleged she had “inaccurately reflected the findings of the judge” and two alleged that her posts “were without a sound factual basis and contained seriously offensive, derogatory language which was designed to demean and/or insult the judge”.

However, a panel chaired by Judge Nicholas Ainley yesterday struck out all five charges on the basis of Dr Proudman’s right to freedom of expression under the European Convention of Human Rights, the English Law Society Gazette reports.

Judge Ainley concluded: “These tweets will not have been pleasant for any judge to read. No-one would enjoy getting comments like that when they have done their professional best in a difficult situation. They may even be thought to be hurtful.

“But they are not gravely damaging to the judiciary. We take the view the judiciary of England and Wales is far more robust than that.”

Dr Proudman told The Guardian: “I’m relieved. Relieved after more than two and a half years of this hell.”