Who? Shiraz Aziz, 36-year-old solicitor-advocate and head of the criminal law department at north London firm Sheikh & Co.

Why is he in the news? Represented Henry Nichol-Sey, an 18-year-old with severe learning disabilities, whom a judge at Snaresbrook Crown Court refused to return to Feltham Young Offenders Institution because of concerns about his welfare. Recorder Nadine Radford QC summonsed the Health Secretary, Patricia Hewitt, to court to explain why no NHS bed could be found for the young man, who has a mental age of six and had already tried to kill himself six times while on remand in Feltham. Ms Hewitt was unavailable, but the junior health minister, Rosie Winterton, attended court - however, she did not give evidence. Mr Nichol-Sey had been on remand for robbery and handling stolen goods, after allegedly stealing a man's jacket. He needed a place in a medium secure unit in order to be assessed with regard to his fitness to plead. Judge Radford also summonsed doctors and mental health and social services bosses, as well as the head of contractors Premier Prison Services and the governor of Pentonville Prison, to explain why Mr Nichol-Sey had not been produced from custody after being lost in the prison system.


Background: Law degree at University College London, followed by an MA in international environmental law at City University. Qualified as a barrister in Trinidad, where he practised criminal law before passing the qualified lawyers transfer test and being admitted to practice as a solicitor in England in 2001. Practised with Wandsworth firm Birds until 2004, when he joined Sheikh & Co, and was granted higher rights in the same year.


Route to the case: 'This case was recommended to me by someone at social services, because I had dealt with Henry before.'


Thoughts on the case: 'Because of the lack of an NHS bed, this young man found himself caught in the prison system, which cannot cater for his needs. Four days of court time and thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money were wasted while the prison service and the mental health and social services authorities got their acts together. I will be calling for a public inquiry into the way he was treated. I am extremely grateful for the stance the judge took. She stood her ground and ensured the correct balance was struck between protecting the defendant's human rights and the public at large.'


Dealing with the media: 'I have dealt with the media in the past, but with this case I have had to be slightly guarded about what I can say, as it is ongoing. The media have been very understanding and shown a great deal of sympathy for our position. They have shown an interest in continuing to report the case and investigate the issues surrounding it further.'