Samreen Akhtar, a 38-year-old barrister from Huddersfield, has been sentenced to three years and three months in prison. She was jailed at Manchester Crown Court on Monday after being convicted of encouraging or assisting the commission of an indictable offence, namely inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent.
West Yorkshire Police stated that Akhtar was recorded on a telephone call with her client, Tabish Ali, on 15 September 2021. During the call, she proposed a plan to locate the individual responsible for shooting Ali the previous day, with the intention of causing them serious injuries.
Akhtar had represented Ali, who was shot and injured in Blacker Road, Huddersfield, on 14 September 2021. Ali, described by police as part of a drugs gang, was later charged with the murder of Jamal Nedd, who was shot and killed outside his Huddersfield home on 19 December 2020. Ali was convicted of Nedd's murder in July 2022 and received a life sentence.
Detective Inspector Paul Hutchinson said Akhtar, as a professional in the criminal justice system, would have been aware of her legal and moral responsibilities but chose to act outside of them. He added that she became a criminal herself and showed a complete disregard for the standards expected in the legal profession.