Top barrister accused of targeting aspiring lawyers for sex

Charge sheet against Jo Sidhu KC is published

A top criminal KC has been accused of “predatory behaviour” towards aspiring lawyers in order to “gain sexual favours”.

Jo Sidhu, formerly chair of the Criminal Bar Association and previously a member of 25 Bedford Row and No5 Chambers, denies all 15 of the misconduct charges against him.

At the opening of a disciplinary tribunal to consider the charges yesterday, the Bar Standards Board’s lawyer described the case as concerning “the predatory behaviour of a very senior, very well-known member of the profession who used his pre-eminent position to manipulate vulnerable young women who were considering a career at the bar in order to gain sexual favours”.

The charges relate to three female aspiring lawyers. Their allegations are summarised below.

Person 1

In August 2016 Sidhu is alleged to have sent a GDL student looking for work experience at the bar (Person 1), a WhatsApp message saying, “Mmm, I would love to see you twerk,” or words to that effect. The charge sheet states that Sidhu sent the message around 11pm and that “he had a sexual motive in sending the message”.

Sidhu apparently first met Person 1 a few months previously at a networking event at the Law Society.

Person 2

In November 2018, Sidhu is accused of inviting Person 2, a paralegal in her 20s who was doing work experience with him, to stay overnight in his hotel room and in his hotel bed, during a mini-pupillage.

The charge sheet states that Sidhu had told Person 2 that due to confidentiality they needed the privacy of his hotel bedroom to work on the case, and had made the invitation to stay when they were alone together in the bedroom late in the evening.

When Person 2 stated that “she wished to and/or should leave the hotel room”, the charge sheet says that Sidhu encouraged her to stay, changed into his pyjamas and placed pillows on the bed, apparently stating: “These will act as a barricade,” or words to that effect, before insisting that Person 2 should sleep on the bed with him rather than on the sofa.

Sidhu had apparently originally initiated contact with Person 2 via LinkedIn by sending her an unsolicited message. It’s also alleged that he made “sexually motivated and inappropriate comments” to Person 2, saying that her “bum” looked good in a dress which she was wearing or words to that effect.

Person 3

Sidhu is accused of having a “sexualised personal relationship” with Person 3, another work experience student, who he first met when she was starting her law degree. The student was participating in a scheme to encourage students from under-represented groups to come to the bar.

In late 2018, Sidhu apparently invited the student to his hotel room during work experience, also in the late evening outside working hours, and then followed up with a message on Telegram stating that he had wanted to have sex with her.

On a separate occasion the following year, he is accused of suggesting to Person 3 that he meet her at her student accommodation in London in order to have sex.

Sidhu is also accused of “requesting and/or encouraging” Person 3 to engage in one or more sexual video calls, between 2019 and 2022, and engaging in the sexually explicit WhatsApp message exchanges them. He is accused of then asking Person 3 to delete the exchanges.

A Bar Disciplinary Tribunal is currently considering the charges, which Sidhu denies.

Sidhu had requested a private hearing, but the tribunal decided it would proceed publicly and that he could be identified.

Some of the allegations came to light via Talk to Spot, The Bar Council’s reporting tool.