Findings and sanctions of past hearings
Details of published findings and sanctions imposed by Disciplinary Tribunals since BTAS started operations on 1 February 2013 are provided here. Please note that, in line with the BTAS Publication Policy, findings will be removed from the website after 2 years, unless the finding of the Disciplinary Tribunal involves a suspension or disbarment. In these cases, the finding will be posted on the BTAS website indefinitely.
Details of findings and sanctions are published in accordance with the BTAS Publication Policy: Disciplinary Tribunals and other adjudication hearings.
In exceptional circumstances, a tribunal can require the Bar Standards Board to suspend the defendant’s practising certificate from a date determined by the tribunal and which can take immediate effect (rE227 and rE228 of the Bar Standards Board Handbook). In all other instances, the sanction described in the finding sheets attached will only come into effect after the time for appeal has expired. The date is further determined either by a decision of the Treasurer of the defendant’s Inn or the disposal of the appeal should one be made. For specific detail, please refer to the Enforcement Regulations at rE239 and rE241.
Appeals against relevant decisions of Bar Disciplinary Tribunals made before 7 January 2014 were heard by the Visitors to the Inns of Court. Since that date appeals fall under the jurisdiction of the High Court (rE236). The outcome of Visitors’ Hearings (appeals) and appeals to the High Court are also listed on this section of the website.
Using the facility below you may search by: name of barrister; date; type of hearing; sentence and section of the code.
Each set of findings is accorded a status on the following basis:
Open to Appeal: The case is within the period that a barrister can appeal the finding but no appeal has been submitted.
Appeal Pending – Sanction Stayed / Appeal Pending: The barrister has submitted an appeal, which is yet to be heard and the sanction will not be implemented until after the outcome of the appeal is known. This will be the case unless the Disciplinary Tribunal has ordered that the sanction should take effect immediately.
Final – The finding has been pronounced either after the appeal period has expired or following the result of an appeal.
New findings are posted within seven days of a decision, although it can take up to 24 hours for the finding to appear on the website following its posting (or for a finding to not show on the website following its removal).
Details of all publishable findings and sanctionss imposed by Disciplinary Tribunals from 2002 to the present date can also be found on the Bar Standards Board website by clicking here.
An alternative means of dealing with professional misconduct complaints is provided by the Determination by Consent (‘DBC’) procedure. This process is where the Professional Conduct Committee exercises its power to determine the outcome of a disciplinary case with the barrister’s consent. It is designed to provide a more speedy resolution of straightforward cases without the need for a formal Disciplinary Tribunal hearing. Further information on the procedure can be accessed here.
Details of the practising status of any barrister can be found on the Bar Standards Board website, click here for further information.
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Mon 27 Oct
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Tue 28 Oct
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Wed 29 Oct
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Thu 30 Oct
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Fri 31 Oct
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Sat 01 Nov
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Sun 02 Nov
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Mon 03 Nov
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Tue 04 Nov
- Defendant
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Chukwuma Emele
(Lincoln's Inn)
- Type of hearing
- 5 Person Disciplinary Tribunal
- Panel members
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- His Honour Christopher Critchlow (Chair)
- His Honour Nicholas Ainley
- His Honour Nicholas Ainley
- His Honour Nicholas Ainley
- His Honour Nicholas Ainley
- Finding and sentence
- Disbarred
- Status
- Final
- Dates
- Tuesday 4 November 2014, Thursday 30 March and Friday 14 July 2017
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Wed 05 Nov
- Defendant
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Stephen Hourigan
(Middle Temple)
- Type of hearing
- 5 Person Disciplinary Tribunal
- Panel members
- Finding and sentence
- Disbarred. Costs of £300 to be paid to the Bar Standards Board.
- Status
- Final
- Date
- Wednesday 5 November 2014
- Hearing listed not before 13.00hrs.
- Defendant
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Martin Vose
(Inner Temple)
- Type of hearing
- 5 Person Disciplinary Tribunal
- Panel members
- Finding and sentence
- Disbarred. Costs of £462 to be paid to the Bar Standards Board.
- Status
- Final
- Date
- Wednesday 5 November 2014
- Hearing listed not before 11.30
- Defendant
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Iain Leadbetter
(Middle Temple)
- Type of hearing
- 5 Person Disciplinary Tribunal
- Panel members
- Finding and sentence
- Disbarred.
- Status
- Final
- Date
- Wednesday 5 November 2014
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Thu 06 Nov
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Fri 07 Nov
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Sat 08 Nov
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Sun 09 Nov
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Mon 10 Nov
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Tue 11 Nov
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Wed 12 Nov
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Thu 13 Nov
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Fri 14 Nov
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Sat 15 Nov
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Sun 16 Nov
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Mon 17 Nov
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Tue 18 Nov
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Wed 19 Nov
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Thu 20 Nov
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Fri 21 Nov
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Sat 22 Nov
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Sun 23 Nov
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Mon 24 Nov
- Defendant
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Rabi Sukul
(Lincoln's Inn)
- Type of hearing
- 5 Person Disciplinary Tribunal
- Panel members
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- His Honour Nicholas Ainley (Chair)
- His Honour Nicholas Ainley (Chair)
- His Honour Nicholas Ainley (Chair)
- Mrs Sara Carnegie nee Worrall
- His Honour Nicholas Ainley (Chair)
- Finding and sentence
- Disbarred.
- Status
- Appeal dismissed
- Date
- Monday 24 November 2014
- Defendant
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Rabi Sukul
(Lincoln's Inn)
- Type of hearing
- 5 Person Disciplinary Tribunal
- Panel members
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- His Honour Nicholas Ainley (Chair)
- His Honour Nicholas Ainley (Chair)
- His Honour Nicholas Ainley (Chair)
- His Honour Nicholas Ainley (Chair)
- His Honour Nicholas Ainley (Chair)
- Finding and sentence
- Charge 1 – Disbarred. Charge 2 Suspended for 9 months.
- Status
- Appeal upheld in part
- Dates
- Monday 3 February and Monday 24 November 2014
- This Tribunal is scheduled to start at 09.30
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Tue 25 Nov
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Wed 26 Nov
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Thu 27 Nov
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Fri 28 Nov
- Defendant
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Tariq Rehman
(Lincoln's Inn)
- Type of hearing
- 3 Person Disciplinary Tribunal
- Panel members
- Finding and sentence
- 2 months suspension on each charge [concurrent]
- Status
- Appeal dismissed
- Dates
- Friday 9 May, Wednesday 10 September, Friday 28 November 2014 and Monday 30 March 2015
- The Tribunal on the 28th November is taking place at 2pm
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Sat 29 Nov
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Sun 30 Nov