Narita Bahra KC
Profile
Associate Tenant | Libertas Chambers
King’s Counsel | Serious Crime | Financial Crime | Complex Fraud | High-Profile Criminal Defence
Narita Bahra KC is a leading criminal defence King’s Counsel and Associate Tenant at Libertas Chambers, recognised for exceptional advocacy in serious crime, murder and homicide, complex fraud, financial crime and high-profile criminal investigations.
Instructed to represent high-net-worth individuals, public figures, company directors, senior executives, professionals and private clients, Narita specialises in cases where the consequences extend far beyond the courtroom, placing liberty, livelihood, assets, professional standing and reputation at risk.
What distinguishes Narita’s practice is strategic judgement: the ability to see what others may have missed, anticipate how a case will develop and identify the evidence or legal argument capable of changing its direction.
Narita is known for formidable courtroom advocacy, tactical intelligence and the ability to command the attention and respect of judges and juries. A particular strength lies in criminal disclosure, digital evidence and expert testimony. Rather than accepting the prosecution’s interpretation of the evidence, Narita examines the underlying material, challenges expert assumptions and identifies weaknesses that may fundamentally alter the course of proceedings.
This approach has contributed to acquittals in serious criminal cases, successful dismissal applications, prosecutions offering no evidence and the collapse of substantial multi-defendant fraud proceedings.
A substantial practice in high-profile, complex and multi-defendant proceedings includes Serious Fraud Office, Financial Conduct Authority, HMRC, Crown Prosecution Service and specialist police investigations. Instructions encompass serious financial crime, international money laundering, corporate investigations, murder, manslaughter, serious sexual offences, organised crime, terrorism, misconduct in public office and professional discipline.
Narita has extensive experience defending murder and homicide allegations, including multiple and serial murders, joint enterprise, disputed forensic and psychiatric evidence and complex digital material. Notable outcomes include securing the sole acquittal in a multi-defendant murder prosecution and a special verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity following challenges to prosecution psychiatric evidence.
In financial crime, Narita has acted in substantial Serious Fraud Office prosecutions, complex investment fraud, banking and cybercrime investigations, and proceedings involving millions of pounds in alleged criminal benefit. Experience includes the SFO prosecution arising from the collapse of Patisserie Holdings plc, a £33 million Royal Mail revenue fraud, complex pension fraud and major cryptocurrency-related proceedings involving approximately 61,000 Bitcoin.
For instructing solicitors, Narita brings more than courtroom advocacy. Early instruction allows the defence to identify overlooked lines of enquiry, preserve potentially decisive digital evidence, commission focused expert analysis and make informed tactical decisions before the prosecution’s case becomes entrenched.
For clients, the approach is equally clear: decisive advice, a carefully developed defence strategy and the confidence that every significant evidential and legal issue will be examined.
The hallmark of Narita’s practice is the combination of experience, judgement and advocacy: understanding not only how to defend a case, but how to change its direction.
DIRECTORY RANKINGS & INDEPENDENT RECOGNITION
Narita is independently recognised by Chambers and Partners and The Legal 500 as a leading King’s Counsel in serious crime and financial crime.
Rankings: The Legal 500: Tier 1, Financial Crime / Fraud (2025); Tier 2, Crime. Chambers and Partners: ranked Financial Crime Silk and Crime Silk (2025).
What the legal directories say:
“Narita is one of the finest silks at the modern criminal Bar. Simply elite.”
— Chambers and Partners
“Narita is a force of nature. She walks into the room and everything stops. She is charismatic and a great advocate.”
— Chambers and Partners, 2026
“Narita commands the respect of the court every time she enters and delivers results time and time again.”
— Chambers and Partners
“I would not hesitate to instruct Narita in any case and recommend her without reservation to anyone seeking five-star counsel.”
— Chambers and Partners, 2027
Awards and distinctions: Barrister of the Year, Political & Public Life Awards (2024); Women of Achievement Award, AWAL Awards (2020); Legal Excellence Award, Signature Awards (2019); Criminal Lawyer, SAL Legal Awards (2019).
Shortlists and honours: Shortlisted: Champion of the Year, Women in Law (100) Years (2025); Lawyer of the Year, British Sikh Awards (2024); Financial Crime Silk, The Legal 500 (2023 and 2022); Women in Law Award (100 Years) (2019). Elected Master of the Bench, Lincoln’s Inn (2020); Hardwicke Scholar and Mansfield Scholar, Lincoln’s Inn.
APPOINTMENTS, PUBLICATIONS & TRAINING
Co-author: Tackling Disclosure in the Criminal Courts, including specialist work on digital disclosure.
Author: A Practical Guide to Confiscation and Restraint.
Professional appointment: Elected Master of the Bench of the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn.
Advocacy and specialist training: Vulnerable witness advocacy trainer; witness familiarisation and expert witness training. Extensive experience examining complex expert evidence, including forensic accounting, psychiatry, pathology, medical evidence and digital forensics.
Legal commentary: Established legal commentator contributing to national television, radio and documentary coverage of criminal justice, serious crime and high-profile prosecutions.
Narita specialises in:
- Business Crime — Serious fraud, financial crime, SFO investigations, corporate crime, bribery, corruption, money laundering, tax evasion, cybercrime and cryptocurrency-related proceedings.
- Criminal Defence — Murder, manslaughter, homicide, serious sexual offences, organised crime, drugs, firearms, terrorism and high-profile criminal prosecutions.
- Regulatory — Professional discipline, FCA investigations, misconduct in public office, professional misconduct and parallel criminal and regulatory proceedings.
- Civil Litigation: Account Freezing & Asset Forfeiture — POCA, confiscation, restraint, account freezing orders, asset forfeiture, property freezing orders and civil recovery.
- Private Prosecutions — Pre-charge advice, private prosecutions, disclosure challenges, abuse of process and strategic defence of complex allegations.
Expertise
Narita leads the defence in complex fraud, money laundering, bribery, corruption, tax, investment and mortgage fraud, fraudulent trading, cyber-enabled financial crime and Very High Cost Cases. The focus is on tracing the true movement of funds, scrutinising financial and digital assumptions, testing prosecution experts and ensuring that disclosure and defence statements address the decisive issues. Narita has particular experience in international money transfers, Hawala banking, cryptocurrency and asset restraint.
Narita advises directors, senior executives, business owners and corporate clients facing serious fraud, regulatory investigations, allegations of dishonesty, tax offences, bribery, corruption and related criminal exposure. Instructions frequently require the coordination of criminal, commercial and regulatory considerations, early expert advice, control of large-scale disclosure and clear communication with professional advisers.
Narita acts in cases involving public figures, senior office-holders and professionals facing allegations of misconduct in public office, bribery or corruption. These instructions demand careful analysis of the legal duties alleged, the boundary between poor judgement and criminal conduct, and the evidential basis of the prosecution case. Narita understands the additional challenges created by media scrutiny and the risk of reputational damage before any finding of guilt.
Narita has experience in major cryptocurrency prosecutions and related disputes involving Bitcoin, digital wallets, tracing, ownership, restraint and valuation. Instructions in the approximately 61,000 Bitcoin proceedings provide experience of the intersection between alleged investment fraud, cross-border digital asset movements and claims to property. Narita understands the significance of valuation dates, conversion, expert analysis and the distinction between proprietary claims and personal compensation claims.
Narita provides early strategic advice where corporate investigations involve complex documents, financial records, digital communications, expert accounting and parallel civil or regulatory exposure. Work includes advising on investigative lines of enquiry, the preservation of defence material and appropriate representations before charge.
Patisserie Holdings plc – SFO prosecution – Leading the defence for the first defendant in the Serious Fraud Office prosecution arising from the collapse of Patisserie Holdings plc.
International cryptocurrency proceedings – approximately 61,000 Bitcoin – Instructed as defence counsel in criminal proceedings involving approximately 61,000 Bitcoin and an alleged international investment fraud. The wider litigation raises important issues concerning digital assets, tracing, ownership, valuation and the interface between criminal proceedings and asset recovery.
Multi-defendant carbon credit and diamond investment fraud – Defence challenges to disclosure and expert evidence exposed fundamental weaknesses in a multi-defendant investment fraud prosecution, contributing to the collapse of the case.
Complex pension fraud – Secured an acquittal in substantial, long-running financial crime proceedings.
£33 million Royal Mail revenue fraud – Defended an employee alleged to have assisted a substantial fraud and attempted to pervert the course of justice; not guilty verdicts were entered.
£113 million cyber-fraud investigation – Operation Kadenza – Represented a banking professional in a major investigation concerning alleged fraudulent accounts, money laundering and misuse of confidential banking information.
£11 million Hawala money laundering – Defended an international money laundering prosecution involving Hawala banking; expert evidence supported the defence explanation of genuine Hawala transfers.
National excise duty conspiracy – Defended a businessman in a multi-defendant prosecution alleging diesel duty evasion; the case collapsed following disclosure failings.
Financial tracing and unanimous acquittal – In a complex financial prosecution, detailed forensic examination of the movement of money and the client’s whereabouts on material dates supported the defence case. The client was the only defendant to secure a unanimous acquittal.
Corporate and investment investigations – Experience includes company insolvency-linked allegations, alleged European Union match-funding fraud, mobile telephone and tax investigations, financial services and banking prosecutions, and allegations concerning illegal tobacco importation and duty evasion.
Operation Aloft – public corruption allegations – Instructed in high-profile proceedings concerning the awarding of commercial and business contracts by Liverpool City Council, involving allegations including bribery and misconduct in public office.
POCA AND SECTION 10A LITIGANTS
Narita advises and appears in restraint, confiscation, account freezing and forfeiture, property freezing and civil recovery matters under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. Experience includes substantial property portfolios, secured lending, competing ownership claims, complex asset valuation, digital assets and cross-border recovery. A key feature of Narita’s approach is addressing asset exposure from the investigation stage rather than waiting for conviction or confiscation proceedings.
RESTRAINT ORDERS
Narita’s experience includes restraint and asset recovery matters under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, as described above.
Narita is an experienced jury advocate in murder, manslaughter, serious sexual offences, organised crime, firearms, drugs conspiracies, terrorism, serious violence and complex multi-defendant trials. Trial strategy begins with a rigorous examination of the prosecution case and the client’s account, followed by targeted disclosure, forensic and expert analysis. Narita has particular expertise in testing pathology, psychiatry, digital material, messaging, location data and witness reliability.
EncroChat – organised crime – Secured acquittals following a written dismissal application for a defendant alleged to be the principal organiser of three drugs conspiracies involving encrypted communications.
International drugs, firearms and money laundering – Acted for the principal defendant in proceedings involving five conspiracy counts; following focused disclosure representations, the prosecution offered no evidence on those counts.
Serious sexual allegations – professional client – Secured a not guilty verdict for a professional facing serious sexual allegations and potential career consequences.
Digital sexual images – expert forensic analysis – Defence expert work demonstrated that material had entered a computer cache without the user’s knowledge. The prosecution offered no evidence.
Serious sexual allegations – pre-charge digital evidence – Early preservation of Snapchat evidence and requests for review of relevant device material informed defence representations; the police discontinued the investigation without charge.
Murder – expert psychiatric evidence – Secured a special verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity. Challenges to expert compliance and disclosure resulted in the prosecution abandoning reliance on a forensic psychiatrist.
Murder – participation and special measures – Advocated for a vulnerable client with learning and mental health difficulties when the prosecution sought an immediate trial. Proposals concerning effective participation resulted in an adjournment and consideration of appropriate measures.
Complex murder and serious violence – Experience includes serial murder allegations, extradition-linked murder prosecutions, contested pathology and forensic evidence, cases involving drill music and serious multi-defendant violence.
Expert pathology challenge – In related serious crime matters, detailed scrutiny raised significant concerns about a pathologist’s methodology and the reliability of expert conclusions.
Terrorism – expert-led resolution – Defended allegations of encouraging terrorism. Specialist mental health evidence enabled engagement with prosecutors and resolution without trial.
Narita represents barristers, solicitors, healthcare professionals, financial services professionals, senior executives and other regulated individuals in professional disciplinary and regulatory proceedings, particularly where allegations of dishonesty, sexual misconduct or financial wrongdoing overlap with criminal investigation. Advice addresses the interaction between proceedings, witness evidence, professional standing, confidentiality and reputation.
PROFESSIONAL DISCIPLINE
Narita’s professional disciplinary experience is described in the Regulatory section above.
ACCOUNT FREEZING & ASSET FORFEITURE
Narita advises on account freezing and forfeiture, property freezing and civil recovery matters, including complex ownership, valuation and digital asset issues.
PRIVATE PROSECUTIONS
Narita advises on the defence of private prosecutions and related strategic issues, including the evidential sufficiency of allegations, disclosure obligations, abuse of process and the interaction between civil disputes and criminal proceedings.
DISCLOSURE, EXPERT EVIDENCE & PRE-CHARGE ADVICE
Criminal disclosure is a defining strength of Narita’s practice. As co-author of Tackling Disclosure in the Criminal Courts, Narita brings a detailed understanding of reasonable lines of enquiry, digital preservation, unused material, defence statements and addenda, expert instructions and the need to distinguish assumptions from reliable evidence. Effective disclosure strategy has contributed to acquittals, the prosecution offering no evidence and the collapse of complex multi-defendant cases.
Narita is experienced in the instruction and cross-examination of forensic accountants, psychiatrists, psychologists, pathologists, medical specialists, digital forensic experts and other expert witnesses. Narita tests the source material, methodology, assumptions and limits of expert opinion. As a trainer in vulnerable witness advocacy and witness familiarisation, including expert witness training, Narita brings particular insight to questioning witnesses fairly and effectively in serious sexual offence and other sensitive cases.
Narita advises at the earliest stage of criminal and regulatory investigations, including police interviews, serious sexual allegations, complex fraud and financial crime. Early action may involve securing relevant messages and digital evidence, identifying witnesses, instructing independent experts, reviewing prosecution assumptions and making focused representations to investigators or prosecutors. The objective is to protect the client’s position and, where justified by the evidence, avoid unnecessary charges or proceedings.
Disclosure addendum – serious violence – A focused addendum to a defence statement identified the material issue that required attention; the prosecution subsequently offered no evidence.
Recommendations
Appointments/Memberships
- Co-author: Tackling Disclosure in the Criminal Courts (including digital disclosure). Author: A Practical Guide to Confiscation and Restraint. Elected a Bencher of Lincoln’s Inn. Vulnerable witness advocacy trainer; witness familiarisation and expert witness training. Recognised in Chambers and Partners and The Legal 500 for serious crime and financial crime work.
Miscellaneous
Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, Gujarati and French – fluent.
