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Overview
Ehsanul is a specialist criminal practitioner. He is regularly instructed to prosecute and defend in serious cases involving violence, drugs, firearms, dishonest and sexual offences.
Ehsanul is a CPS Grade 3 Panel Advocate and the Attorney General’s Junior Junior Panel member.
Prior to pupillage, Ehsanul worked in East Africa for an international charity that provided pro bono legal assistance. He led a strategic litigation team that identified and conducted cases for the reform of criminal law in East Africa. He also worked on appeal cases for defendants at risk of the death penalty.
He regularly accepts pro bono cases and has received a Pro Bono Pledge Award from We Are Advocate (Bar Pro Bono Unit) for completing 25 hours of work.
In 2022, he worked with Advocates 4 International Development (A4ID), assisting in the development of a Training Handbook on International Criminal Law for Ukrainian Judges.
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Crime
Ehsanul joined the crime team following successful pupillage in Albion Chambers.
Ehsanul is regularly instructed by local authorities, police constabulary and law firms on applications and appeals to the Crown Court and Private prosecution Cases.
He also has recent experience of appearing in the Court of Appeal on successful appeals.
In the case of R v JR, he successfully appealed an order made in 2018. The defendant was accused of breaching a sexual Harassment Prevention Order. Ehsanul identified that the Order was made unlawfully. Ehsanul advised to appeal out of time; the Court of Appeal granted leave even though the appeal was out of time by 5 years. The appeal was allowed in the Court of Appeal, and the order was quashed. Following the representation made by Ehsanul, the prosecution under the unlawful order was discontinued in the Crown Court.
In another appeal case, R v WP, Ehsanul successfully appealed against an immediate custodial sentence imposed for an offence of Sexual Assault. Ehsanul advised on an expedited appeal and drafted the Grounds of Appeal. The Court of Appeal agreed with the submissions made by Ehsanul and granted the appeal against the sentence, substituting it with a Suspended Sentence Order.
Ehsanul has also been involved in a number of successful firearms appeals in the Crown Court.
Notable cases in the Crown Court:
R v DS: led junior for defence in a 3-week rape trial. The defendant faced 6 counts of rape against 3 separate victims spanning over 8 years. The case involved a large volume of material, complex disclosure issues and arguments on section 41 applications.
R v WP: instructed to represent a man accused of Sexual Assault by Penetration. Following representation from Ehsanul, Crown accepted a plea to the lesser offence of Sexual Assault.
R v TC: instructed to represent one of the three defendants accused of kidnapping and causing wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Ehsanul was instructed to represent the first defendant in the Indictment. The prosecution offered no evidence following robust representation before trial.
R v W: Instructed to prosecute a man accused of causing wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
R v MP: represented a defendant accused of false imprisonment and threat to kill. The defendant was accused of holding the complainant at knifepoint for 6 hours before she escaped. The defendant was acquitted of all counts after a 6-day trial.
R v CT: instructed to represent a defendant with mental health issues accused of causing grievous bodily harm. The prosecution called 7 witnesses who witnessed the assault. The defendant was acquitted.
R v JS: Instructed to represent a defendant with a learning disability who was accused of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and Notification Requirements. The prosecution offered no evidence after Ehsanul cross-examined the prosecution expert, which showed that the prosecution’s evidence was not reliable. Ehsanul also made a successful application under section 78 of PACE to exclude a confession made by the defendant.
R v DP: Ehsanul prosecuted a man who was found in possession of a number of firearms. One of the counts raised a technical legal issue on the meaning of what constitutes a “barrelled firearm”. Ehsanul successfully resisted an application to dismiss and was commended by the Judge for the quality of his skeleton argument.
R v FJ: prosecution of a woman who assaulted a 12-year-old child. The case received coverage in a number of national newspapers, including the Guardian.
R v DM: prosecuted in a case of fraud of £1.3 million by a pharmacy employee. The defendant pleaded guilty and received a sentence of 5 years and 8 months. The case received coverage in various national media, including the BBC.
R v AB & KD: prosecuted a case of multi-hander street robbery where two defendants attacked the victim, leaving him with serious and long-term injuries. Both defendants pleaded guilty. One of the defendants was found to be dangerous and received an extended sentence.
