Pritesh Naik

Findings — machine-extracted (anthropic-batch:claude-opus-4-8); verify against the decision

The Respondent, a solicitor, was convicted at the Central Criminal Court of 5 counts of unauthorised transmission of images/sounds from inside a prison and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, receiving a 5-year custodial sentence. The conspiracy involved arranging for a defendant to plead guilty on a false basis to shield co-defendants. The Tribunal found he breached Principles 2 and 6, failing to act with integrity and to maintain public trust. He admitted the allegation though maintained he was appealing. He was struck off the Roll and ordered to pay £1,000 costs, not enforceable without leave given his impecuniosity. No express finding of dishonesty was made.

Duties found breached:

• No taking unfair advantage
• Uphold public trust in the profession

Aggravating factors:

• Conviction for a serious offence striking at the heart of the justice system
• Being a solicitor was identified by the sentencing judge as a very serious aggravating feature
• Conspiracy to pervert the course of justice hatched from prison using mobile phones

Mitigating factors:

• Attended the hearing
• Previous good character
• Newly qualified at the time of the events
• Admitted the allegation based on the conviction