Member
Academic Background
- MA, LLM (Cantab)
Professional Background
- Called to the Bar by the Middle Temple 1970 (Harmsworth Scholar)
- Appointed Queen's Counsel 1995
- Recorder of the Crown Court 1991
- Member of the Panel of Chairmen of Police Appeals Tribunal 1994
- Master of the Bench of the Middle Temple 2004
- Member of the Criminal Bar Association
- Member of the SE Circuit
- Former Chairman of the Surrey & South London Bar Mess
- President, Association of Sri Lankan Lawyers in the UK
- Head of Chambers
Harendra specialises in serious crime, including murder, serious fraud, importation and supply of drugs, armed robbery, rape, money laundering, human trafficking involving Chinese "Snakehead" gangs.
Harendra read Law at Queens' College, Cambridge and also obtained a Master's Degree in International Law. He completed his pupillage at 2 Paper Buildings in 1970 and has been a member of chambers since then.
Recent cases include:
- R v Cheng Chinese "Snakehead" human trafficking
- R v Devine Multi-million pound "carousel" fraud
- R v Tailor £20 m. VAT/money laundering fraud re: computer chips
- R v Rahman Multi-handed murder
- R v Jonathan Police corruption case
- R v Daryadel International fraud involving fake driving licences
- R v Akhtar Brinks Mat related conspiracy to murder. Case involved complex firearm issues and required extensive cross-examination of ballistics and firearm residue experts.
- R v Javed Incitement to murder - Danish cartoon protests
- R v Meghrabi £20 million international money laundering involving
- bureaux de change.
- R v Nazir Major drugs conspiracy and money laundering. Case involved extensive covert audio surveillance.
- R v Mirza & Others Multi-million pound global conspiracy to distribute counterfeit pharmaceuticals. Largest recent MHRA prosecution.
- R v Williams Human trafficking conspiracy, also involving children.
- R v Pottinger Gross negligence manslaughter. Wife starved to death while in husband’s care.
- R v Munshi (2008) Possession of articles for the purposes of terrorism. Represented the youngest person ever to be charged in Uk for terrorist offences.
- R v Chaggar (2008) Alleged property/conveyancing fraud. Represented professional lay client who was acting in conveyancing transactions.
- R v Gunaratnam (2009) "Boiler room" fraud. Involved the dishonest sale of company shares to UK investors by an offshore brokerage. Extent of fraud - £4 million.
- R v El-Sheikh (Oct 2009) Represented one of three defendants acquitted of the Loftus Road shooting that took place on Christmas Eve 2008.
Harendra has chaired seminars on Criminal Law and delivered lectures on "The Right to Silence" and "Admissibility of Bad Character Evidence"
