By Ashley Young-
A solicitor convicted of sexual assault following a drunken encounter on a night out has been surprisingly allowed to continue in practice, despite a fine of £17,500, and £1,900 in costs.
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal gave Ravi Khosla the greenlight for continued practise after hearing a number of positive character references explaining his actions to be out of character. The tribunal ruled that the experienced solicitor was highly unlikely to repeat his misconduct, and that it was ‘abundantly clear’ from character references that he was a highly respected and competent criminal lawyer.
Khosla, a consultant with Durham firm Kenneth M Barrow & Co Limited, was convicted at Leeds Crown Court in March 2019 of one count of sexual assault, after a guilty plea.
He was sentenced to undertake 120 hours of unpaid work within 11 months but was not required to register with the police in accordance with the Sexual Offences Act 2003. He joined Kenneth M Barrow & Co Limited (the Firm) in 2009, graduating progressively to the status of a Partner in 2013, and a Director in 2015.
The tribunal heard that Khosla, 41, had squeezed the bottom of an 18-year-old woman and tried to kiss her while he waited at a taxi rank in the early hours of 31 December 2017. The victim said she felt ‘dirty and shocked’, ‘disgusted to be kissed by someone who I didn’t want to kiss me’, and ‘scared by the man’s persistence’.
The victim, whose identity has been withheld for legal reasons, said in her statement: ” [he]put his hand around my hips, placed it on my bottom cheek where he then squeezed hard, then pulled me forcefully towards him. He had his other hand on my right cheek which he used to pull my face towards him.
He then forcefully pushed his face into mine and kissed me. He was trying to kiss me with an open mouth but I was keeping my mouth closed and trying to push him away. I told him “no”.
…At the time I felt dirty and shocked. It felt disgusting to be kissed by
someone who I didn’t want to kiss me. I felt scared by the man’s persistence. She continued: I have only just turned 18 and this was one of my first nights out. This isn’t what I thought a night out would be like as I have always felt safe previously. This will make me much more vigilant and wary on future nights out…”
Sexual Assault
Sexual assault in law occurs when the complainant is intentionally touched, kissed, or sexually handled without consent by the defendant.
In his mitigation to the tribunal, lawyers for Khosla, a solicitor since 2004, submitted this was a ‘two-minute event in an otherwise unblemished record both professionally and personally’. He was said to be contrite and offered his fulsome apology to all concerned.
Khosla explained he was intoxicated on a night out with friends, and not used to drinking. ”At one point in the evening he became detached from his friends and therefore went to the taxi rank which was where the offence occurred in plain sight in a busy city centre with heavy police presence”. Mr Williams QC said.
The tribunal heard character references, including one volunteered by Caroline Goodwin QC, chair of the Criminal Bar Association, who said this was ‘utterly out of character from everything I know about him’ and this was a ‘moment of complete madness, an unattractive incident committed in drink’.