- Defendant
-
Omar Khan
(Lincoln's Inn)
- Type of hearing
- 5 Person Disciplinary Tribunal
- Panel members
-
- His Honour Nicholas Ainley (Chair)
- His Honour Nicholas Ainley (Chair)
- His Honour Nicholas Ainley (Chair)
- Mr Godwin Busuttil
- His Honour Nicholas Ainley (Chair)
- Finding and sentence
- Disbarred
- Status
- Final
- Date
- Friday 24 February 2017
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.
- Defendant
-
Richard Keogh
(Middle Temple)
- Type of hearing
- 3 Person Disciplinary Tribunal
- Panel members
-
- Mr Jonathan Holl-Allen KC (Chair)
- Mr Stephen Harpum
- Ms Siobhan Heron
- Finding and sentence
- 28 Days Suspension.
- Status
- Final
- Date
- Monday 7 October 2019
- Defendant
-
Robert Kearney
(Inner Temple)
- Type of hearing
- 5 Person Disciplinary Tribunal
- Panel members
-
- His Honour Andrew Goymer (Chair)
- Mr John Walsh
- Ms Sarah Baalham
- Ms Isabelle Watson
- His Honour Nicholas Ainley
- Finding and sentence
- Suspended for 6 Months. Advised as to Future Conduct [should not take on pupils, mini-pupils or anyone on work experience]. Cost to be paid to the BSB of £3,000.00.
- Status
- Appeal dismissed
- Dates
- Monday 21 December 2020 and Friday 19 March 2021
- This Hearing is taking place 'Virtually' due to CV.
- Defendant
-
Robert Kearney
(Inner Temple)
- Type of hearing
- 5 Person Tribunal
- Panel members
-
- His Honour Judge Carroll (Chair)
- Ms Janine Green
- Mr Andrew Ward
- Mr John Lloyd-Jones KC
- Ms Siobhan Heron
- Ms Janine Green
- Mr John Foy KC
- Finding and sentence
- Disbarred. Cost to be confirmed in due course.
- Status
- Open to appeal
- Dates
- Monday 18 July, Tuesday 11 October, Wednesday 7 - Friday 9 December 2022, Thursday 5 January and Monday 17 - Wednesday 19 July 2023
- Defendant
-
Robert Kearney
(Inner Temple)
- Type of hearing
- 5 Person Tribunal
- Panel members
-
- His Honour Judge Carroll (Chair)
- Ms Janine Green
- Mr Paul Robb
- Ms Siobhan Heron
- Mr John Foy KC
- Finding and sentence
-
Mr Kearney appealed the Panel decision to disbar him to the High Court.
On 1 March 2024 the appeal was successful and the High Court has remitted the matter back for a new sanction hearing to take place. Date TBC - Status
- Open to appeal
- Dates
- Wednesday 7 - Friday 9 December 2022, Thursday 5 January and Monday 17 - Wednesday 19 July 2023
- Defendant
-
Stephen Kamlish QC
(Gray's Inn)
- Type of hearing
- 3 Person Tribunal
- Panel members
-
- His Honour Peter Rook KC (Chair)
- Mrs Kathryn King
- Mr John Foy KC
- Finding and sentence
- Charges Dismissed.
- Status
- Final
- Dates
- Tuesday 14 - Friday 17 July and Tuesday 4 - Thursday 6 August 2020
- This Hearing is taking place 'Virtually' due to CV.
- Defendant
-
Sellappah Joseph
(Middle Temple)
- Type of hearing
- 3 Person Disciplinary Tribunal
- Panel members
- Finding and sentence
- 12 Months Suspension
- Status
- Final
- Date
- Tuesday 25 April 2017
- Defendant
-
Alun Jones
(Gray's Inn)
- Type of hearing
- 3 Person Tribunal
- Panel members
-
- Mr Jonathan Holl-Allen KC (Chair)
- Ms Tracy Stephenson
- Mr Darren Snow
- Finding and sentence
- Charges Dismissed.
- Status
- Final
- Dates
- Monday 7 - Wednesday 9 September and Monday 16 - Wednesday 18 November 2020
- Defendant
-
John Iteshi
(Middle Temple)
- Type of hearing
- 5 Person Disciplinary Tribunal
- Panel members
-
- 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
- Disbarred.
- Status
- Appeal dismissed
- Date
- Friday 16 October 2015
- Defendant
-
Mohammad Islam
(Lincoln's Inn)
- Type of hearing
- 5 Person Disciplinary Tribunal
- Panel members
-
- 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
- Final
- Dates
- Thursday 27 - Friday 28 March 2014