Three allegations proved against Jo Sidhu KC, seven dismissed
Former chair of the Criminal Bar Association, Jo Sidhu KC, has been found guilty of professional misconduct relating to three allegations of “inappropriate and unwanted” behaviour.
The findings, made by the Bar Tribunals & Adjudication Service, were part of a wider case against the silk which saw 15 allegations made relating to three separate women, each either a law student or aspiring barrister undertaking a mini-pupillage at the time.
Five of these allegations were struck out part way through the hearing after the tribunal found there was no case to answer, with a further seven found not to have been professional misconduct. Whilst the tribunal did state that one allegation that Sidhu texted sexual fantasies to a law student was “reprehensible, disgusting, shocking”, it did not constitute a breach of the code of conduct, they said.
The three proven allegations all relate to ‘Person 2’, an unnamed female paralegal in her 20s. The tribunal found that Sidhu invited her to his hotel room whilst she was on a mini-pupillage with him, before inviting her to stay the night, changing into his pyjamas, and creating a pillow “barricade” on the bed. This was despite the paralegal protesting that she wanted to leave the room or sleep on the sofa, she said in her evidence.
Sidhu was found to have then initiated sexual contact with Person 2, which the tribunal described as inappropriate in all the circumstances, although fell short of being unwanted by the criminal burden of proof.
Each allegation, the tribunal said, constituted inappropriate behaviour of a sexual nature, and that Sidhu knew or ought to have known that this was the case.
Sidhu did not give evidence or call any witnesses during the hearing, although did provide 140 pages of character references. He is now subject to an interim suspension on the issuing of a new practicing certificate, with the tribunal set to hand down its formal sanction in due course.
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