Shah Syed Rashid Masood Sahib

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

The Respondent, a solicitor and partner at his firm, was convicted on 13 February 2024 at Nottingham Crown Court of rape of a woman 16 years or over, and sentenced to 54 months' imprisonment, later increased to 8 years by the Court of Appeal following an Attorney-General's Reference. The Tribunal, proceeding in his absence, found the allegation proved on the basis of the conviction, holding his conduct lacked integrity (Principle 5) and failed to maintain public trust (Principle 2). No dishonesty was expressly found. Given the inherent seriousness, the Respondent was struck off the roll and ordered to pay costs of £6,250.

Duties found breached:

• Integrity
• Uphold public trust in the profession

Aggravating factors:

• Conviction for rape - egregious abuse of trust upon a vulnerable victim
• Serious and lasting harm to the victim
• Damage to the reputation of the profession