A high-profile former solicitor is heading back to prison for contempt of court after her appeal against a committal order was dismissed.
Handing down judgment at the Royal Courts of Justice today, Lord Justice Newey said the warrant of committal against Soophia Khan was ‘now issued and now takes effect’. Lord Justice Newey, Lord Justice Arnold and Lord Justice Nugee dismissed Khan’s appeal on all grounds.
A committal order against Khan was made in March 2023, sentencing her to 12 months in prison. The order was stayed to allow for an appeal.
Considering the order, and whether it should be deferred back to Mr Justice Leech, Lord Justice Newey said: 'The stay of execution has come to an end and we can, here and now, issue the warrant of committal.'
James Bogle, for Khan, argued that she may wish to make an application under CPR 81.10 to discharge the committal order and that should be done to the committal judge, particularly as paragraph 10 of his order stated that the Committal Application will be restored for further hearing. But the judge said: ‘It is desirable to the greatest possible degree that that should be done, but Ms Khan has already had multiple opportunities to do so including during…this appeal and she has not taken these opportunities. I do not consider it appropriate to delay.’
The court heard Khan, admitted in 2006, plans to make an application to take her case to the Supreme Court.
Today’s hearing is the latest in a long legal battle between the Solicitors Regulation Authority and Khan, who was once chair of the Law Society’s civil justice committee, over client documents that were not handed over during an intervention into Khan’s former firm. Khan has told previous hearings she no longer has in her possession any of the items the SRA is seeking.
Khan was jailed for contempt in January 2022 for six months and released after three.
