A barrister has been suspended from practising for 12 months after he was found to have behaved in a way which was likely to diminish public trust by ‘knowingly’ assisting his ex-solicitor daughter breach a High Court injunction.
Mohammad Tayyab Khan, called in 1972, was found to have lacked integrity, wasted the court’s time and behaved in a way that was likely to diminish public trust and confidence during an appearance before the coroner’s court for a pre-inquest hearing in June 2022.
The Bar Tribunals & Adjudication Service found six charges of professional misconduct proved against Khan.
Khan is the father of Soophia Khan, who was subject to an order made by the High Court in November 2021 at the time of the pre-inquest hearing. The injunction, brought by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and granted by Mr Justice Fancourt, prevented Soophia from exercising a right of audience.
During the pre-inquest hearing, Khan appeared as an advocate for the family of the deceased and was accompanied by his daughter.
The tribunal found that Khan took instructions from his daughter and provided her responses to the coroner – knowingly assisting her to breach the injunction.
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Khan read out replies supplied to him by his daughter, in a process which was described as ‘disjointed, time consuming and would be disruptive to the efficient working of the inquest’. Khan was also found to have made an inaccurate statement to the coroner about the records held by the Bar Standards Board in respect of his status.
A spokesperson for the BSB said: ‘Barristers have a duty to assist the court and support the administration of justice. Mr Khan’s conduct fell below the standards expected to comply with this. The tribunal considered all the matters carefully and the sanction reflects the seriousness of his actions.’
