A highly experienced and well-respected advocate with a proven record for defending and prosecuting at the highest level. He is regularly instructed in high-profile, complex and ground-breaking cases. He was appointed a Recorder on the South Eastern Circuit in 2009.
Sailesh lectures at Law Society accredited seminars on aspects of criminal law, has been appointed to the Editorial Board of a leading work on Directors’ Disqualification, and is on the Attorney General’s list of approved Counsel.
He has been the Times Newspaper’s and the Gazette’s “Lawyer of the Week”, was “Lawyer of the Month” in the BLD Directory, was voted “Criminal Lawyer of the Year” in 2009 by the Society of Asian Lawyers, and has been regularly quoted in The Lawyer and the Law Society Gazette.
Sailesh has been on Bar Council committees, was the first vice-Chair of the Bar Human Rights Committee, has represented the Bar as a member of international delegations, is a past Chair of the Society of Asian Lawyers, and in 2009 helped to launch the Law Society’s flagship project, the Diversity Charter.
Recent Significant Cases:
Crime: Murder
- Leading Junior in 2009 in a 2-month long triple-murder and double attempted murder case, which the press described as “executions” (represented the father of the alleged murderers who was charged with assisting his sons to flee the country);
- Currently instructed in two attempted murders involving alleged drugs and gang warfare;
- Defended in the “Matalan murder” case in 2009– represented the store security manager in a “cut-throat” defence. Only defendant (out of 7) to be acquitted of murder and manslaughter;
- Defended in a knife murder in 2009 involving feuding gangs in North London;
- Defended in a double murder of “Big Issue” sellers;
- Recently successfully defended in Newcastle Crown Court in an attempted murder case (reduced to GBH at trial, even though one victim is paraplegic after the incident) involving a paratrooper serving in Afghanistan.
Crime: Fraud & Financial
- Defended the main alleged fraudster in an 8-month long trial of 10 defendants charged with conspiracy to defraud Microsoft; following a week-long hearing in the Court of Appeal, this case is a leading authority on disclosure;
- Currently instructed in a multi-handed “boiler-room fraud” involving the alleged sale of worthless company shares – trial likely to last 3 months;
- Defended in a multi-million pound, complex fraud of banks – defendant fooled a number of eminent psychiatrists into believing he was insane;
- Has appeared in a number of important Proceeds of Crime Act cases (and has lectured in this area). Recently represented a well-known solicitor and succeeded in the Court of Appeal on a novel point of law;
- Instructed by HMRC as leading Counsel in large and complex VAT tribunal cases, often involving alleged MTIC frauds;
- Currently Instructed in a number of alleged “fake crash” insurance fraud cases, including in the case involving the alleged ring leaders.
Crime: Other Serious Crime
- Defended as leading Counsel in a series of Chinese “snakehead” kidnap cases; in 2010 successfully defended in a 2-month kidnap case at Winchester Crown Court;
- Successfully defended in a gang kidnap and gbh case in which axes were used and “bin-liners were brought to carry body parts”;
- In 2009, leading Counsel in a 3-month long conspiracy to supply class A drugs case; in 2008/2009, leading Counsel 3-month conspiracy case in which the Prosecution alleged that the defendant was a major drugs dealer who obtained information to further his crimes by corrupting police officers;
- Successfully defended in a rape case which was halted by the Judge after cross-examination of the complainant – the complainant was later charged with perjury;
- Successfully defended one of a number of young Muslim men charged petrol-bomb offences during a time of heightened Middle East tensions;
- Represented half of the families of 58 Chinese immigrants who died in the back of a lorry as they were being smuggled into the UK;
- Regularly represent barristers charged with disciplinary offences.
Regulatory Crime
- Regularly instructed by the Health and Safety Executive to prosecute companies and directors in cases involving death or serious injury. In 2009, instructed in two “death in the workplace” cases; currently instructed in a tractor death case;
- Instructed in the first contested trial pursuant to the Health Act, of a pub landlord who smoked cigarettes with customers in his pub;
- In 2010, prosecuted the Co-Op on behalf of the Fire Brigade for breaches of Fire Safety legislation; Has prosecuted and Advised the London Fire Brigade, and other Fire Brigades for over 20 years.
- Cited as a “Leading Junior” and a “real heavyweight” in Environmental Law by Chambers & Partners UK Guide 2009;
- Advised and represented the Environment Agency for 20 years in some of the most complex and high-profile environmental cases;
- Currently instructed as leading Counsel in one of the environment Agency’s biggest prosecutions involving waste dumping on a large scale by many defendants and money laundering;
- Prosecuted, as leading Counsel, in a politically sensitive case (and the first of its type) relating to the transfrontier shipment of waste from the UK to China and India;
- Advises the Environment Agency on key aspects of policy and law;
- Has advised and represented “household name” companies in environmental cases;
- Prosecuted in two leading cases involving European Waste Packaging regulations, which resulted in a change in the interpretation of the law;
- Regularly lectures on Environmental Law, recently in prosecuting (and defending) in complex environmental cases. In September 2010, due to lecture on “Sentencing in Environmental Law” in a series of seminars to lawyers and senior officers.
