She learned the identity of the gunman and then helped Ali
A young barrister who once championed diversity in the legal profession faces years in jail for helping a gangster avenge an assassination attempt on him.
Samreen Akhtar was found guilty at Manchester Crown Court of intentionally encouraging or assisting grievous bodily harm with intent after a week-long trial.
Prosecutors said she used information gained through her professional role to help career criminal Tabish Ali identify and target the man who had previously shot him.
The offence carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Akhtar is due to be sentenced on September 7 and has been suspended from practising as a barrister while disciplinary proceedings continue.
The court heard Akhtar conspired with Ali after he survived a shooting linked to an organised crime feud. She learned the identity of the gunman and then helped Ali locate him so he could be seriously injured.
Her conviction marks a dramatic fall for a barrister once regarded as one of the brightest rising legal professionals in the region.
A spokesperson for the Bar Standards Board said:
“Barrister Samreen Akhtar has been suspended from practice by the Chair of our Independent Decision-Making Body.
“Under our Enforcement Regulations, the interim suspension must now be considered by an Interim Suspension Panel at a hearing within the next four weeks.”
Akhtar was first arrested in 2023 but continued representing clients after she was charged. Her suspension did not take effect until July 3, shortly before her trial began.
Before her conviction, Akhtar had built a reputation as a Social Mobility Advocate and frequently encouraged aspiring Black, Asian and minority ethnic women to pursue careers at the Bar.
Speaking to the Asian Standard in 2020, she said:
“Hailing from a Pashtun background, I broke from tradition by studying beyond sixteen.
“I am fortunate to have parents who champion education and it was with their blessing that I enrolled to study law at my local university, the University of Huddersfield.”
She also spoke about the need to remove barriers for aspiring barristers, saying:
“I firmly believe that financial support is necessary to eradicate socio-economic barriers in order to attract a talented and diverse range of candidates to the Bar.
“All of you have the talent, skill, and capability to excel in whatever it is you want to do. There won’t be an easy, obstacle-free path to achieve your dreams and goals.
“Instead of worrying and fretting about those obstacles, embrace them. Tackle them headfirst because you have nothing to lose.
“Finally – persevere. You will encounter setbacks and rejections but it’s important to view them not as losses but lessons.
“In the words of Brazilian author Paulo Coelho, ‘When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it’.”
The man Akhtar helped, Tabish Ali, is already serving a life sentence for the murder of Jamal Nedd, a member of the Fartown Boys drug gang.
Nedd was shot outside his Huddersfield home on December 19, 2020, while taking his mother to work.
Leeds Crown Court heard the killing formed part of a long-running feud between rival gangs competing for control of local drug markets.
Ali, along with brothers Sheraz Hussain and Hamad Hussain, was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Mohammed Khan received a five-year prison sentence after being convicted of doing an act intending to pervert the course of public justice and arson. He disposed of a Vauxhall Insignia used in the convoy of vehicles involved in the murder.
During sentencing in that case, Recorder of Leeds Judge Guy Kearl KC described the violence as part of an escalating gang conflict.
He said:
“In the two years leading up to 19th December 2020, there was an ongoing turf war between gangs dealing drugs.”
“It took the form of using firearms to shoot at or attempts to set fire to properties associated with another member of the gang.
“It also took the form of shooting members of the other gang and using weapons. I’m certain your gang was one of those involved in the battle of supremacy.
“This was part of an ongoing feud and revenge attacks took place and this was a revenge attack for those which had taken place against your gang.”
Akhtar now faces sentencing in September, while the Bar Standards Board considers whether her interim suspension should remain in place ahead of any permanent disciplinary action.
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