- Defendant
-
Martin Polaine
(Gray's Inn)
- Type of hearing
- 5 Person Disciplinary Tribunal
- Panel members
- Finding and sentence
- Suspended 2 months.
- Status
- Final
- Dates
- Thursday 10 - Friday 11 October 2013
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
-
Mary Poku
(Lincoln's Inn)
- Type of hearing
- 5 Person Tribunal
- Panel members
-
- Her Honour Judith Hughes KC (Chair)
- Mr Alexander Horne
- Mr Matthew McGhee
- Mr John Vaughan
- Ms Rhona Stevens
- Finding and sentence
-
On 9 May 2024 the Tribunal ordered the BSB not to issue Ms Poku a practising certificate for 24 months and also imposed an immediate order not to issue a practising certificate pending any appeal.
Costs of £3251.35 awarded to the BSB. - Status
- Open to appeal
- Dates
- Wednesday 8 - Thursday 9 May 2024
- Defendant
-
Ngozi Pipi
(Inner Temple)
- Type of hearing
- 5 Person Disciplinary Tribunal
- Panel members
-
- His Honour Nicholas Ainley
- His Honour Nicholas Ainley
- His Honour Nicholas Ainley
- Mr Colin Wilby
- His Honour Stuart Sleeman (Chair)
- Finding and sentence
- Disbarred. Costs £1,500.
- Status
- Final
- Dates
- Monday 18 - Tuesday 19 February 2013
- Defendant
-
David Peter
(Lincoln's Inn)
- Type of hearing
- 5 Person Tribunal
- Panel members
-
- His Honour James Meston KC (Chair)
- Mr Matthew McGhee
- Ms Elahe Youshani
- Ms Helen Norris
- Ms Janine Green
- Status
- Adjourned - Part Heard
- Date
- Thursday 18 January 2024
- Adjourned part heard on 19 October 2023. Due to resume on 18 - 19 January 2024.
- Defendant
-
Rohan Pershad QC
(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)
- His Honour Nicholas Ainley (Chair)
- His Honour Nicholas Ainley (Chair)
- Finding and sentence
- Disbarred
- Status
- Final
- Dates
- Thursday 19 March and Tuesday 29 September 2015
- Defendant
-
Jourdan Penrice
(Lincoln's Inn)
- Type of hearing
- 5 Person Tribunal
- Panel members
-
- His Honour Nicholas Ainley (Chair)
- Ms Janine Green
- Mr Stephen Harpum
- Miss Josephine Davies
- Ms Hayley Firman
- Finding and sentence
- BSB not to issue a Practising Certificate for 3 years. Mr Penrice to complete a further 6 months pupillage. That pupillage not to take place for 2 years. Cost of £1800 to be paid to the BSB.
- Status
- Final
- Date
- Wednesday 14 December 2022
- Defendant
-
Philip Pawson
(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)
- His Honour Nicholas Ainley (Chair)
- His Honour Nicholas Ainley (Chair)
- Finding and sentence
- Disbarred
- Status
- Final
- Dates
- Tuesday 6 - Wednesday 7 December 2016
- Defendant
-
Rashvinderjeet Panesar
(Gray's Inn)
- Type of hearing
- 5 Person Tribunal
- Panel members
-
- His Honour James Meston KC (Chair)
- Ms Desirée Artesi
- Mr Peter Causton
- Ms Tracy Stephenson
- Ms Rhona Stevens
- Finding and sentence
-
On 16 November 2023 the Tribunal issued a reprimand to Mr Panesar.
Costs of £2,100 awarded to the BSB - Status
- Final
- Dates
- Thursday 16 - Friday 17 November 2023
- Defendant
-
Theyakaraja Palaniandy
(Lincoln's Inn)
- Type of hearing
- 5 Person Disciplinary Tribunal
- Panel members
-
- Her Honour Penny Cushing (Chair)
- Mr David Crompton
- Ms Siobhan Heron
- Finding and sentence
- Disbarred
- Status
- Final
- Dates
- Monday 1 July and Thursday 5 December 2019
- Defendant
-
David Owusu-Yianoma
(Inner Temple)
- Type of hearing
- 5 Person Tribunal
- Panel members
-
- Her Honour Sara Staite (Chair)
- Mr Geoffrey Brighton
- Mr Stephen Harpum
- Miss Josephine Davies
- Ms Siobhan Heron
- Finding and sentence
- Suspended for 12 Months. Costs of £5000 to be paid to the BSB.
- Status
- Appeal pending
- Dates
- Wednesday 8 - Friday 10 February and Thursday 11 - Friday 12 May 2023
- Please note that the hearing on the 11+12 May is online due to train strikes