Trailblazing barrister's career is in tatters and she faces years in jail for using her contacts to help a gangster get revenge for a 'hit' on his life

Published: 00:02, 10 July 2026 | Updated: 00:15, 10 July 2026 A trailblazing young barrister's career is in ruins and she is facing years in jail for helping a gangster to avenge an assassination attempt on him. Samreen Akhtar was considered one of the brightest new barristers on the circuit as she built a profile by speaking out against prejudice suffered by young black and Asian aspiring lawyers. But her career is now in tatters after she was convicted of using her professional contacts to attack an organised crime gang member who tried to murder a rival gangster in a drugs turf war. Akhtar, 37, from Huddersfield, is said to have helped career criminal Tabish Ali after he was shot in West Yorkshire. She had learned the identity of the man who shot Ali - and then conspired with him to track down the gun man - and maim him. It is not known why she threw away such a promising career at the bar and put her life in danger to help a career criminal, Ali.  But she was found guilty after a week-long trial at Manchester Crown Court of intentionally encouraging or assisting grievous bodily harm with intent. The offence which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. She will be sentenced on September 7. Samreen Akhtar, from Huddersfield, is said to have used professional contacts to involve herself in the aftermath of the shooting of gangster Tabish Ali in West Yorkshire Tabish Ali - who was the target of an underworld shooting in 2021 - is pictured  She can also expect to be banned from practice by the Bar Standards Council.  'Barrister Samreen Akhtar has been suspended from practice by the Chair of our Independent Decision-Making Body,' said a spokesman for the organisation. 'Under our Enforcement Regulations, the interim suspension must now be considered by an Interim Suspension Panel at a hearing within the next four weeks.' Akhtar was initially arrested back in 2023 but was inexplicably allowed to continue defending clients for months after she had been charged with the offence.  Her suspension only came into force on July 3 - some three years later - as she continued to work until the beginning of her trial. A barrister told the Mail: 'Samreen Akhtar was once thought of as one of the brightest young talents on the circuit but it's been a spectacular fall from grace. 'It's an appalling travesty that she was able to carry on working in courts of law while facing such serious charges linked to organised crime. She should have been suspended as soon as she was arrested.' Akhtar became a Social Mobility Advocate after qualifying for the bar, encouraging other BAME women to contact her if they were struggling to be heard above 'Oxbridge-educated Caucasian men.' Akhtar's career is now in ruins after she was convicted of trying to arrange an attack on a member of an organised crime gang embroiled in a drugs turf war Akhtar (pictured) was found guilty after a week-long trial at Manchester Crown Court last month of intentionally encouraging or assisting grievous bodily harm with intent She hailed her working class roots in Huddersfield, describing how her father would finish his day's work as a mechanic and come home to proofread her pupillage applications. In 2020, aged 32, she told the Asian Standard: 'Hailing from a Pashtun background, I broke from tradition by studying beyond sixteen. 'I am fortunate to have parents who champion education and it was with their blessing that I enrolled to study law at my local university, the University of Huddersfield.' She encouraged more BAME women to believe in themselves and aim to pass the bar exam. She said: 'I firmly believe that financial support is necessary to eradicate socio-economic barriers in order to attract a talented and diverse range of candidates to the Bar. 'All of you have the talent, skill, and capability to excel in whatever it is you want to do. There won't be an easy, obstacle free, path to achieve your dreams and goals. Instead of worrying and fretting about those obstacles, embrace them. Tackle them headfirst because you have nothing to lose. 'Finally – persevere. You will encounter setbacks and rejections but it's important to view them not as losses but lessons. In the words of Brazilian author Paulo Coelho 'when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.' The man she tried to incite to carry out GBH, Tabish Ali, was a dangerous gangster involved in a bloody feud in Huddersfield. Ali is himself now serving a life sentence for his part in the execution of Jamal Nedd, a member of the Fartown Boys drug gang. Nedd was taking his mother to work on December 19, 2020, when he was shot in a revenge attack outside his home. Leeds Crown Court heard that there had been a feud between Ali's gang and Nedd's, with a series of tit-for-tat attacks during the 2022 trial. Ali, then 29, and brothers Sheraz Hussain, 37, and Hamad Hussain, 32, all from Huddersfield, were found guilty of murder and handed life sentences. Mohammed Khan, 31, of Bradford, was jailed for five years after he was found guilty of doing an act intending to pervert the course of public justice and arson. Khan became involved following Jamal's murder when he was asked to dispose of a Vauxhall Insignia which was used in a convoy of vehicles that pulled alongside Nedd's Nissan Juke before the murder. Recorder of Leeds, Judge Guy Kearl KC, said he was sure the Hussain brother's and Ali's gang was involved in a 'battle of supremacy'.   Akhtar had first been arrested in 2023 but was allowed to continue defending clients at Leeds Crown Court and elsewhere for months after she had been charged with the offence He said: 'In the two years leading up to 19th December 2020 there was an ongoing turf war between gangs dealing drugs. 'It took the form of using firearms to shoot at or attempts to set fire to properties associated with another member of the gang. 'It also took the form of shooting members of the other gang and using weapons. I'm certain your gang was one of those involved in the battle of supremacy. 'This was part of an ongoing feud and revenge attacks took place and this was a revenge attack for those which had taken place against your gang.' Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.